•       : 


• 

I  BOOK  STORE, 

/vriKfs-.-.    pt:.--.'    AP.TUL-:*,    ETC,, 
:    :  lil. 

STiJUMEBY 

K,  S.V.V  FKA.M 

a/VVWVAAA/lL 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


From  the  library 

of 
JAMES  D.  HART 


'WAY  DO¥I  EAST; 


OR, 


rf  ^fattto 


BY    SEBA    SMITH, 


ORIGINAL   MAJOR   JACK   DOFNOG 


NEW  YORK : 

DERBY    <fe    JACKSON,    119    NASSAU    ST 
1859. 


Bwrwie*  •wording  tt>  A  <  *  '-<\aifre»,  inth«  J-MT  ISM.  *? 

S  E  1    K    SMITH, 
fe  «W  Clnk'i  O£ee  ot  the  United  State*   ,i»tnct  Court,  for  the  Southern  District  of  N«»  ^c 


W.  H.  T1NSOK, 

iTBRBOTTPB 

24  Keck  man  st. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAOI 

I. — JOHN  •WABr.Kr&HTB  TRIAL    ...  .••••••  6 

II. — YANKEE  CHRISTMAS  .  ..«  ••••..29 

HI. — THE  TOOGB  TASM       ...........58 

'V. — CHRISTOPHER   CROTCHKT     ..........         ^ 

V. — POLLY  GRAY  AND  THB  DQCTOBS          .......  .        W 

VI. JERRY    QUTTRIDGE *  .  .  125 

VII. — SEATING   THE   PARISH  ..........      150 

VIII. — THE   MONEY-DIGGERS   AND  OLD  NICE 166 

IX.— PETER   PUNCTUAL 216 

X. — THE   SPECULATOR «...      236 

XI. — A  DUTCH  WEDDING •          •          .          .  266 

XII. BILLY   SNUB 28* 

XIII.— THE   PUMPKIN    FRESHET 819 

XIV.— A  RACE  FOR  A  SWEETHEART «...  ,839 

XV. — OLD   M.YERS,   THE   PANTHER  .  .....  r  .  858 

xvi.— SETH  WOODSUM'S  WIFE ,       .    870 


CHAPTER  L 
JOHN  WADLEIGH'S  TRIAL. 

The  Early  Jurisprudence  of  New  England,  including  a  Sketch  of 
John  Wadleigh's  rMal  before  Squire  Winslow,  for  Sleeping  in 
Meeting  on  the  lord's  Day;  with  a  brief  Report  of  Lawyer 
Chandler's  memora  )le  Speech  on  the  occasion. 

THE  pilgrim  lathers  of  New  England,  and  their 
children  of  the  fi  *st  and  second  generations,  are  justly 
renowned  for  tieir  grave  character,  their  moral 
uprightness,  whi<  h  sometimes  was  rather  more  than 
perpendicular,  ai.d  the  vigilant  circumspection  which 
each  one  exercis*  ;d  over  his  neighbor  as  well  as  him- 
self. It  is  true  t"iat  Connecticut,  from  an  industrious 
promulgation  of  her  "  Blue  Laws,"  has  acquired  more 
fame  on  this  scor  3  than  other  portions  of  the  "  univer- 
sal Yankee  nation,"  but  this  negative  testimony 


6 

against  the  rest  of  New  England  ought  not  to  be 
allowed  too  much  weight,  for  wherever  the  light  of 
history  does  gleam  upon  portions  further  "  Down  East," 
it  shows  a  people  not  a  whit  behind  Connecticut  in 
their  resolute  enforcement  of  all  the  decencies  of  life, 
and  their  stern  and  watchful  regard  for  the  well-being 
of  society.  The  justice  of  this  remark  will  suffi- 
ciently appear  by  a  few  brief  quotations  from  their 
judicial  records. 

In  the  early  court  records  of  New  Hampshire,  in 
the  year  1655,  may  be  found  the  following  entry  : 

"  The  Grand  Jury  do  present  the  wife  of  Mathew 
Giles,  for  swearing  and  reviling  the  constable  when  he 
came  for  the  rates,  and  likewise  railing  on  the 
prudenshall  men  and  their  wives.  Sentenced  to  be 
whipped  seven  stripes,  or  to  be  redeemed  with  forty 
shillings,  and  to  be  bound  to  her  good  behavior." 

Another  entry  upon  the  records  the  same  year  is  as 
follows : 

"  The  Grand  Jury  do  present  Jane  Canny,  the  wife 
of  Thomas  Canny,  for  beating  her  son-in-law,  Jeremy 
Tibbetts,  and  his  wife ;  and  likewise  for  striking  her 
nusband  in  a  canoe,  and  giving  him  reviling  speeches. 
Admonished  by  the  court,  and  to  pay  two  shillings 
and  sixpence." 


If  it  is  consistent  with  rational  philosophy  to  draw 
an  inference  from  two  facts,  we  might  here  consider 
it  proved,  that  the  pilgrim  ladies  of  1655  had  consider- 
able human  nature  in  them.  And  from  the  following 
record  the  same  year,  it  would  appear  also  that  there 
were  some  of  the  male  gender  among  them  at  that 
day,  who  still  exhibited  a  little  of  the  old  Adam. 

"  Philip  Edgerly,  for  giving  out  reproachful 
speeches  against  the  worshipful  Captain  "Weggen,  is 
sentenced  by  the  court  to  make  a  public  acknowledge- 
ment three  seve,  al  days ;  the  first  day  in  the  head  of 
the  train  band ;  the  other  two  days  are  to  be  the  most 
public  meeting  days  in  Dover,  when  Oyster  Eiver 
people  shall  be  there  present ;  which  is  to  be  done 
within  four  months  after  this  present  day.  And  in 
case  he  doth  not  perform  as  aforesaid,  he  is  to  be 
whipped,  not  exceeding  ten  stiipes,  and  to  be  fined 
five  pounds  to  the  county." 

The  reader  cannot  but  notice  in  this  case,  last  cited, 
with  what  stern  purpose  and  judicial  acumen  the 
severity  of  the  penalty  is  made  to  correspond  with  the 
enormity  of  the  offence.  The  crime,  it  will  be  seen, 
was  an  aggravated  one.  The  gentleman  against  whom 
the  reproachful  speeches  were  uttered  was  a  Captain ; 
and  not  only  a  Captain,  but  a  Worshipful  Captain, 


8 

Whether  Captain  Weggen  was  the  commanding  officer 
of  the  train  band,  or  not,  does  not  appear ;  but  there 
was  an  appropriate  fitness  in  requiring,  that  the  crime 
of  uttering  reproachful  speeches  against  am/  Captain, 
should  be  publicly  acknowledged  at  the  head  of  the 
train  band.  There  the  culprit  would  have  to  face  all 
the  officers,  from  the  captain  down  to  the  corporal,  and 
all  the  soldiers,  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of  the  com- 
pany, could  point  the  finger  of  scorn  at  him. 

But  as  the  injured  party  in  this  case  was  a  worship- 
ful captain,  it  was  very  proper  that  a  penalty  of  a 
highor  grade  should  be  affixed  to  the  sentence.  Hence 
the  withering  exposure  of  the  offender  to  make  public 
acknowledgments  on  two  several  occasions,  "  to  be 
the  most  public  meeting  days  in  Dover,  when  Oyster 
Ewer  people  shall  le  there  present ." 

Whatever  may  be  said  at  the  present  day,  as  to  the 
"'temperance  reformation  being  of  modern  origin,  it 
may  be  affirmed  without  hazard  that  the  good  people 
of  New  England  two  hundred  years  ago,  were  decided 
and  strenuous  advocates  of  temperance.  They  were 
not  tee-totallers  ;  they  did  not  prohibit  the  use  of  those 
"  creature  comforts  "  altogether ;  but  if  any  one  among 
them  proved  to  be  a  wine-bibber,  or  abused  his 
privilege  of  drinking,  woe  be  to  him,  he  had  to  feel  th» 


9 

force  of  the  law  and  good  government.  Witness  the 
following  court  record  in  New  Hampshire,  in  1657 : 

"  Thomas  Crawlie  and  Mathew  Layn,  presented  for 
drinking  fourteen  pints  of  wine  at  one  time.  Fined 
three  shillings  and  fourpence,  and  two  fees  and 
sixpence." 

The  good  people  of  the  province  of  Maine  in  those 
early  days  have  also  left  proof,  that  they  were  on  the 
side  of  industrious  and  good  habits  and  wholesome 
instruction.  Their  Grand  Juries  present  as  follows  : 

""We  present  Charles  Potum,  for  living  an  idle, 
lazy  life,  following  no  settled  employment.  Major 
Bryant  Pembleton  joined  with  the  Selectmen  of  Cape 
Porpus  to  dispose  of  Poturn  according  to  law,  and  to 
put  him  under  family  government." 

So  it  seems  there  were  some  men,  even  in  the  early 
days  of  the  Pilgrims,  who  enjoyed  that  more  preva- 
lent luxury  of  modern  times,  living  wider  family 
government. 

Again  say  the  Grand  Jury,  "We  present  the 
Selectmen  of  the  town  of  Kittery,  for  not  taking  care 
that  their  children  and  youth  be  taught  their  cate- 
chism and  education  according  to  law." 

They  took  good  care  in  those  good  old  times,  that 

the  dealings  between  man  and  man  should  be  on 

1* 


10 

equitable  and  fair  principles,  and  without  extortion. 
In  1640,  the  Grand  Jury  say — 

"Imprimis,  we  do  present  Mr.  John  Winter,  of 
.Richmond's  Island,  for  extortion;  for  that  Thomas 
"Wise,  of  Casco,  hath  declared  upon  his  oath  that  he 
paid  unto  Mr.  John  Winter  a  noble  (six  shillings  and 
eightpence),  for  a  gallon  of  aqua  vitse,  about  two 
months  since ;  and  further,  he  declareth  that  the  said 
Winter  bought  of  Mr.  George  Luxton,  when  he  was 
last  in  Casco  Bay,  a  hogshead  of  aqua  vitse  for  seven 
pounds  sterling." 

The  punishment  inflicted  on  Mr.  John  Winter,  for 
extorting  from  his  customer  two  hundred  per  cent, 
profit  on  his  merchandise,  is  not  stated;  but  if  one 
Thomas  Wamerton,  who  flourished  in  the  neighbor- 
hood at  that  time,  had  any  agency  in  fixing  the 
penalty,  it  probably  went  rather  hard  with  him ;  for 
this  latter  gentleman  must  have  had  a  special  interest 
in  keeping  the  price  of  the  article  down,  inasmuch  as 
it  is  related  of  him,  that  in  taking  leave  of  a  friend, 
who  was  departing  for  England,  "  he  drank  to  him  a 
pint  of  kill-deml)  alias  rum,  at  a  draught." 

Juliana  Cloyse,  wife  to  John  Cloyse,  was  "pre- 
sented for  a  talebearer  from  house  to  house,  setting 
differences  between  neighbors."  It  was  the  mis 


11 

fortune  of  Juliana  Cloyse  that  she  lived  at  too  early 
an  age  of  the  world.  Had  her  lot  been  cast  in  this 
day  and  generation,  she  would  probably  have  met 
with  no  such  trouble. 

Thomas  Tailor  was  presented  "  for  abusing  Captain 
F.  Raynes,  being  in  authority,  for  thee-ing  and  thou? 
ing  of  him,  and  many  other  abusive  speeches." 

At  a  town  meeting  in  Portsmouth,  March  12, 1672, 
"  voted,  that  if  any  shall  smoke  tobacco  in  the  meet- 
ing-house at  any  public  meeting,  he  shall  pay  a  fine 
of  five  shillings,  for  the  benefit  of  the  town." 

In  a  previous  year,  September  25th,  at  a  town 
meeting,  it  was  "ordered  that  a  cage  be  made,  or 
some  other  means  be  invented  by  the  Selectmen,  to 
punish  such  as  sleep  or  take  tobacco  on  the  Lord's 
day,  at  meeting,  in  the  time  of  the  public  exercise." 

It  appears  from  this  record  that  the  town  reposed 
unlimited  confidence  in  the  inventive  powers  of  the 
Selectmen  ;  and  it  appears  also  that  the  energetic 
order  of  the  town,  passed  on  this  occasion,  was  a  few 
years  afterwards  successfully  carried  into  practical 
operation.  The  following  is  preserved  on  the  towc 
records,  July  24,  1771. 

"  The  Selectmen  agree  with  John  Pickering  to  lurid 
a  oage  twek&feel  square,  with  stocks  within  it,  and-  a 


12 

pillory  on  the  top,  a  convenient  spaci  from  the  west 
end  of  the  meeting-house" 

Thus  far  we  have  confined  ourselves  to  official 
records ;  but  some  of  the  unofficial  and  unwritten 
records  of  those  days  are  of  equal  i:  nportance  to  be 
transmitted  to  posterity,  one  of  whicl .  it  is  our  present 
purpose  to  endeavor  to  rescue  from  cblivion. 

The  affair  of  the  cage,  with  stocks  inside,  and  a  pil- 
lory on  the  top,  served  to  wake  up  he  congregation 
for  a  while,  so  that  no  one  was  caight  napping  or 
chewing  tobacco  in  the  meeting-house  during  the 
public  exercises  for  several  Sabbaths  after  this  inven- 
tion of  the  Selectmen  became  a  "  fi  red  fact "  at  the 
west  end  of  the  meeting-house.  As  t  le  novelty  of  the 
thing  wore  off,  however,  the  terror  in  some  degree 
seemed  to  depart  with  it.  There  w,is  a  visible  care- 
lessness on  the  part  of  several  old  offenders,  who  were 
observed  to  relax  their  attention  to  the  services,  wear- 
ing very  sleepy  looks,  sometimes  ya^ming,  and  occa- 
sionally putting  themselves  into  unreemly  positions, 
concealing  their  faces,  so  that  the  se  irching  sci  utiny 
of  old  Deacon  Winslow  himself  cor  Id  not  decide  for 
certainty  whether  they  were  asleep  o  -  not. 

Among  these  delinquents,  John  Wadleigh  seemed 
to  be  the  most  conspicuous,  often  leaning  his  head  so 


JOHN    WADLEIGH'S    TRIAL, 


as  to  hide  his  eyes  during  half  sermon  time.  He  was 
also  gruff  and  stubborn  when  questioned  on  the  sub- 
ject. So  marked  was  the  periodical  reeling  of  his  head, 
that  Deacon  "Winslow  began  to  watch  him  as  narrow- 
ly as  a  cat  would  a  mouse.  Not  that  the  Deacon 
neglected  the  sermon  ;  he  always  took  care  of  that 
matter,  and  for  his  own  edification,  as  well  as  an  ex- 
ample to  the  congregation,  he  steadily  kept  one  eye 
on  the  minister,  while  the  other  was  on  John  Wadleigh. 
There  began  to  be  sundry  shrugs  of  the  shoulders 
among  the  knowing  ones  of  the  congregation,  and 
remarks  were  occasionally  dropt,  such  as  "  Don't  you 
believe  John  Wadleigh  was  asleep  during  half  the 
sermon  yesterday  ?"  with  the  reply,  "  Why  yes,  I 
know  he  was  ;  but  he  must  look  out,  or  he'll  buy  the 
rabbit,  for  Deacon  Winslow  keeps  his  eye  upon  him, 
and  if  he  don't  make  an  example  of  him  before  long, 
I  won't  guess  again." 

It  was  whispered  by  some,  who  were  out  of  the  pale 
of  the  church,  that  the  Deacon's  watchful  powers  with 
regard  to  Wadleigh  were  a  little  more  acute  in  con- 
sequence of  Wadleigh's  having  over-reached  him 
somewhat  in  the  sale  of  a  cow,  at  which  the  Deacon, 
who  prided  himself  on  his  sound  judgment,  it  was 
alleged,  always  felt  a  littlt  mortified.  The  Deacon 


14 

however  was  a  very  upright  specimen  of  the  old 
puritan  race,  and  it  is  not  probable  his  sense  of  justice 
and  right  was  much  warped.  True,  he  manifested  con- 
siderable zeal  in  looking  after  the  delinquencies  of 
John  "Wadleigh,  but  his  "  zeal  was  according  to  know- 
ledge ;"  he  knew  Wadleigh  to  be  a  disregarder  of  the 
Sabbath,  sleepy-headed  and  profane,  and  he  did  there- 
fore feel  a  zealous  and  charitable  desire  to  administer 
to  him  a  little  wholesome  reproof,  provided  it  could 
be  done  in  a  just,  lawful,  and  Christian  manner. 

He  even  felt  it  excusable,  to  accomplish  so  good  a 
purpose,  to  enter  into  a  pious  fraud  with  Parson 
Moody.  He  had  observed  that  though  "Wadleigh 
generally  appeared  to  be  asleep  at  the  close  of  the 
sermon,  yet  when  the  congregation  immediately  rose 
up  to  prayers,  he  always  managed  some  how  or  other 
to  be  up  with  them,  but  with  a  flushed  face  and 
guilty  countenance.  The  Deacon  believed,  and  it 
was  the  general  opinion,  that  Wadleigh  was  asleep 
on  these  occasions,  and  that  when  the  congregation 
began  to  rise,  it  always  awoke  him.  He  therefore 
suggested  to  Parson  Moody,  that  on  the  next  Sabbath, 
at  the  close  of  the  sermon,  instead  of  immediately 
commencing  his  prayers,  he  should  sit  quietly  down 
three  or  four  minutes,  as  though  he  were  a  little 


15 

fatigued,  or  had  some  notes  to  look  over,  and  see 
whether  Wadleigh  would  not  continue  to  sleep  on, 
while  the  attention  of  every  one  awake  would  of 
course  be  attracted  to  the  Parson.  This  little  plan 
was  tried,  but  without  any  very  satisfactory  result. 
It  added  something  to  the  presumptive  testimony  in 
the  case,  but  nothing  clear  and  positive.  "Wadleigh 
held  his  head  down  about  half  a  minute  after  the 
monotonous  tones  of  the  preacher's  voice  had  ceased 
to  fall  upon  his  ear,  when  he  started  suddenly,  rose  to 
his  feet,  looked  round  a  moment  confusedly,  and  sat 
down  again. 

At  last,  however,  repeated  complaints  having  been 
made  to  the  Grand  Jury,  they  saw  fit  to  "present 
John  "Wadleigh  for  a  common  sleeper  on  the  Lord's 
day,  at  the  publique  meeting,"  a  thing  which  Deacon 
"Wlnslow  earnestly  declared  they  ought  to  have  done 
weeks  before  they  did. 

The  Deacon  was  in  fact  the  most  important  person- 
age in  town,  being  not  only  the  first  officer  in  the 
church,  but  also  a  civil  magistrate,  before  whom  most 
of  the  important  causes  in  the  place  were  tried.  Of 
course  the  offender  Wadleigh,  when  the  Grand  Jury 
had  once  caught  him  in  their  net,  had  a  pretty  fair 
chance  of  having  -nqtiee  meted  out  to  him.  The 


16 


jury  met  early  on  Monday  morning,  and  the  first 
business  before  them  was  the  case  of  Wadleigh, 
against  whom  a  fresh  lot  of  complaints  had  come  in. 
They  were  not  long  in  finding  a  bill  against  him  as 
above-mentioned,  and  a  warrant  was  put  into  the 
hands  of  Bill  Cleaves,  the  constable,  to  hunt  Wad- 
leigh  up,  and  take  him  before  Deacon  'Squire  "Wins- 
low,  and  summon  in  the  witnesses  for  his  trial. 

Bill  Cleaves  tipped  his  hat  to  the  'Squire  as  he 
went  by  upon  his  official  duties,  and  gave  him  to 
understand  what  was  going  on.  Whereupon  'Squire 
Winslow  proceeded  to  put  his  house  in  court-order, 
having  the  floor  of  his  large  open  hall,  where  he  gen- 
erally held  his  courts,  swept  and  newly  sanded,  and 
things  all  put  to  rights.  One  o'clock  was  the  hour 
appointed  for  the  trial,  for  as  the  neighborhood  all 
dined  at  twelve,  the  'Squire  said  that  would  give 
.them  an  opportunity  to  go  to  the  work  with  a  full 
stomach  and  at  their  leisure. 

Accordingly,  at  one  o'clock  the  parties  began  to 
assemble  in  the  hall.  'Squire  Winslow,  who  believed 
that  a  pipe  after  dinner  was  a  good  settler  to  the 
stomach,  and  always  practised  accordingly,  came  in 
with  a  pipe  in  his  mouth,  his  spectacles  resting  on  the 
fop  ot  his  forehead,  and  taking  a  comfortable  position 


17 

in  his  chair,  placed  his  feet,  where  he  had  a  perfect 
right  to  place  them,  being  in  a  land  of  Liberty,  and 
in  his  own  house,  upon  the  top  of  the  table.  The 
prisoner,  who  had  been  found  asleep  in  his  chair  at 
his  own  dinner  table,  was  taken  away  suddenly,  like 
Cincinnatus  or  Putnam  from  the  plough,  and  brought 
into  court,  just  as  he  was,  in  his  shirt  sleeves,  and 
placed  at  the  other  end  of  the  table,  opposite  the  feet 
of  Gamaliel.  Lawyer  Chandler,  who  was  always  on 
hand  to  help  the  'Squire  along  in  all  knotty  cases, 
appeared  with  book  in  hand  ready  to  lay  down  the 
law  and  testimony.  Lawyer  Stebbins  was  allowed 
by  the  courtesy  of  the  court  to  take  his  seat  by  the 
side  of  the  prisoner  to  see  that  he  had  fair  play  shown 
him.  Bill  Cleaves,  the  constable,  took  his  seat  a 
little  behind  the  'Squire,  crossed  his  legs,  and  fell  to 
smoking  a  cigar  with  great  composure. 

'Squire  "Wmslow's  faithful  bull  dog,  Jowler,  whose 
duty  it  was  to  keep  order  in  the  house,  took  his 
watchful  station  under  the  table,  directly  under  his 
master's  feet,  ready  for  any  emergency.  While  the 
constable's  dog,  Trip,  whf  had  done  his  part  in  run- 
ning down  the  game  and  getting  it  housed,  felt  that 
his  duties  were  over,  and  caring  but  little  for  the 
court  scene,  he  had  stretched  himself  upon  the  looi. 


18 


WAY     DOWN     EAST. 


and  was  as  sound  asleep  as  ever  John  Wadleigh  was 
in  church.  The  other  witnesses  and  spectators  pre- 
sent were  too  numerous  to  mention. 

The  indictment  was  read,  and  the  prisoner  .called 
upon  to  answer,  who,  at  the  suggestion  of  Lawyer 
Stebbins,  replied,  "Not  guilty;"  at  which  Deacon 
'Squire  "Winslow  shook  his  head,  and  remarked  in  a 
low  tone,  "  We  shall  see  about  that." 

The  first  point  made  by  Lawyer  Chandler,  was, 
that  the  prisoner  should  prove  his  innocence  /  and  he 
argued  the  point  with  much  force  and  eloquence.  It 
was  no  easy  matter  to  prove  that  a  man  was  actually 
asleep,  but  it  was  easy  enough  for  a  man  to  prove 
that  he  was  awake.  Therefore,  from  the  nature  of 
the  case,  the  burden  of  the  proof  ought  to  lay  upon 
the  prisoner.  "  Now,  we  charge  that  on  sundry  occa- 
sions, "Wadleigh  was  asleep  in  church,  against  the 
laws  of  the  town  and  the  well-being  of  society. 
Now,  if  he  was  not  so  asleep,  let  him  prove  his  alibi. 
A  criminal  always  has  a  right  to  an  alibi  if  he  can 
prove  it.  May  it  please  your  honor,  T  take  that 
ground,"  said  Chandler,  "and  there  I  stick;  I  call 
upon  the  prisoner  to  prove  his  alibi" 

Lawyer  Stebbins  stoutly  contended  that  the  alibi 
could  not  apply  in  this  case.  He  had  nev^r  hoard 


nor  read  of  its  being  used  in  any  case  except  murder. 
And  the  wisdom  of  the  court 'finally  overruled  that  it 
oelonged  to  the  prosecutors  to  prove  the  sleep. 

"Well,  if  that  be  the  case,"  said  Chandler,  "I 
move,  your  honor,  that  Solomon  Young  be  sworn. 
I  had  no  idea  the  burden  of  proof  was  going  to  lay 
on  us,  but  still  I've  come  prepared  for  it." 

Solomon  Young  was  sworn,  and  took  the  stand. 

Question  ~by  Chandler. — Do  you  know  that  John 
Wadleigh  sleeps  in  meeting  ? 

Witness. — I  guess  taint  no  secret;  I  don't  know 
anybody  but  what  does  know  it. 

Chandler. — "Well,  do  you  know  it?  That's  the 
question. 

Stebbins  objected  to  the  question.  It  was  a  lead- 
ing question,  and  they  had  no  right  to  put  leading 
questions  to  the  witness. 

Chandler. — "Well,  then,  let  the  court  put  the 
questions. 

Justice  Winslow. —  WTiat  do  you  know  about 
John  Wadleigh's  sleeping  in  meeting  ? 

Witness. — I  know  all  about  it,  taint  no  secret, 
1  guess. 

Justice. — Then  tell  us  all  about  it;  that's  just 
what  we  want  to  know. 


20  'WAY    DOWN    EA.ST. 

Witness  (scratching  his  head). — Well,  the  long 
and  short  of  it  is,  John  Wadleigh  is  a  hard  worken 
man.  That  is,  he  works  mighty  hard  doing  nothing ; 
and  that's  the  hardest  work  there  is  done.  It'll  make 
a  feller  sleepy  quicker  than  poppy  leaves.  So  it 
stands  to  reason  that  Wadleigh  would  naterally  be  a 
very  sleepy  sort  of  a  person.  Well,  Parson  Moody's 
sarmons  are  sometimes  naterally  pretty  long,  and  the 
weather  is  sometimes  naterally  considerable  warm, 
and  the  sarmons  is  some  times  rather  heavy-like. 

"Stop,  stop,"  said  'Squire  Winslow,  "no  reflec- 
tions upon  Parson  Moody ;  that  is  not  what  you  were 
called  here  for." 

Witness. — I  don't  cast  no  reflections  on  Parson 
Moody.  I  was  only  telling  what  I  know  about  John 
"Wadleigh's  sleeping  in  meeting ;  and  it's  my  opinion, 

especially  in  warm  weather,  that  sarmons  that  are 

• 
heavy-like    and    an    hour    long   naterally   have    a 

tendency — 

"  Stop,  stop,  I  say,"  said  'Squire  Winslow,  "  if  you 
repeat  any  of  these  reflections  on  Parson  Moody  again, 
I'll  commit  you  to  the  cage  for  contempt  of  court." 

Witness. — I  don't  cast  no  reflections  on  Parson 
Moody.  I  was  only  telling  what  I  knew  about  Joho 
Wadleigh's  sleeping  in  meeting. 


21 

''Squire  Winslow. — Well,  go  on,  and  tell  us  all 
about  that;  you  want  called  here  to  testify  about 
Parson  Moody. 

Witness. — That's  what  I'm  trying  to  do,  if  you 
wouldn't  keep  putting  me  out.  And  its  my  opinion 
in  warm  weather,  folks  is  considerable  apt  to  sleep  in 
meeting;  especially  when  the  sarmon — -I  mean 
especially  when  they  get  pretty  tired.  I  know  I  find 
it  pretty  hard  work  to  get  by  seventhly  and  eighthly 
in  the  sarmon  myself;  but  if  I  once  get  by  there,  I 
generally  get  into  a  kind  of  waking  train  again,  and 
make  out  to  weather  it.  But  it  isn't  so  with  Wad- 
leigh ;  I've  generally  noticed  if  he  begins  to  gape  at 
seventhly  and  eighthly,  its  a  gone  goose  with  him 
before  he  gets  through  tenthly,  and  he  has  to  look  out 
for  another  prop  to  his  head  somewhere,  for  his  neck 
isn't  stiff  enough  to  hold  it  up.  And  from  tenthly  up 
to  sixteenthly  he's  dead  as  a  door  nail ;  till  the  Amen 
brings  the  people  up  to  prayers,  and  then  Wadleigh 
comes  up  with  a  jerk,  jest  like  opening  a  jack-knife. 

Stebbws,  cross-examining  the  witness. — Mr.  Young, 
how  do  you  J&now  that  Wadleigh  is  asleep  on  these 
occasions  you  speak  of? 

Witness. — Cause  he  is ;  everybody  says  he  is." 
Steblins. — That  won't  do;  we  don't  want  you  to 


22 

tell  us  what  everybody  says.  You  must  tell  how 
you  know  he  is  asleep  ? 

Witness. — Well,  cause  he  begins  to  gape  at  sev- 
enthly and  eighthly,  and  props  his  head  up  at  tenthly, 
and  don't  stir  again  till  the  Amen. 

Stebbins. — Well  how  do  you  "know  he  is  asleep  at 
that  time  ? 

Witness. — Cause  when  I  see  him  settle  down  in 
that  kind  of  way,  and  cover  his  face  up  so  I  can't  see 
his  eyes,  I  know  he's  asleep. 

Stebbins. — That's  no  proof  at  all ;  the  witness  only 
knows  he  was  asleep  because  he  couldn't  see  his  eyes. 

Chandler. — "Well,  this  witness  has  proved  that  the 
prisoner  exhibited  all  the  outward  signs  of  sleep ;  now 
I  will  introduce  one  to  show  that  he  also  exhibited 
internal  evidence  of  being  asleep.  Your  honor  must 
know  that  it  is  a  law  in  physics  and  metaphysics,  and 
the  universal  science  of  medicine,  that  being  deprived 
of  one  sense  sharpens  the  other  senses  in  a  most  won- 
derful degree.  How  I  move  your  honor  that  my 
blind  friend  here  behind  me,  Jonathan  Staples,  be 
sworn. 

Jonathan  Staples  was  sworn  accordingly. 

Chandler. — Now,  Staples,  do  you  know  that  John 
"Wadleigh  sleeps  in  meeting  ? 


JOHN    WAD  LEIGH'S    TRIAL.  23 

Staples. — 'Yes,  I  du. 

Chandler. — Do  you  know  it  ? 

Staples. — Yes,  I  know  it. 

Squvre  Wmslow. — How  do  you  know  it? 

Staples. — Why,  don't  I  hear  him  sleep  eveiy  Sab- 
oath? 

Chandler. — What  is  the  state  of  your  hearing  ? 

Staples. — It  is  as  sharp  as  a  needle  with  two  pints. 

Chandler. — Can  you  always  tell  b^  a  person's 
breathing,  whether  he  is  asleep  or  awake  ? 

Staples. — Jest  as  easy  as  I  can  tell  whether  Pm 
asleep  or  awake  myself. 

Chandler. — Tell  us  where  you  sit  in  meeting,  and 
how  you  know  Wadleigh  is  asleep. 

Staples. — "Well,  I  goes  to  meeting  of  a  Sabbath, 
and  commonly  takes  my  seat  in  the  seventh  seat  at 
the  west  end  of  the  meeting-house.  And  John  Wad- 
leigh he  sets  in  the  sixth  seat,  and  that  brings  him 
almost  right  afore  me.  All  the  first  part  of  the  exer- 
cises he  has  a  waking  breath,  till  it  gets  along  into 
the  sarmon,  say  about  seventhly  or  eighthly,  and  then 
he  begins  to  have  a  sleepy  breath ;  and  when  it  gets 
along  into  tenthly,  he  commonly  goes  it  like  a  porpus. 

Squire  Wmslow. — Do  you  know  him  to  be  asleep 
at  these  times  \ 


24  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

Sta/ples. — I  guess  I  du ;  I  dont  see  how  I  could  help 
it.  I  know  him  to  be  asleep  jest  as  well  as  I  know 
I'm  awake. 

Squire  Wmslow. — Well,  that's  sufficient,  unless 
Mr.  Stebbins  wishes  to  ask  any  questions. 

Stebbins. — Now,  Staples,  do  you  pretend  to  say  that 
you  can  tell  John  Wadleigh's  breath  from  the  breath 
of  any  other  person  in  meeting  ? 

Sta/ples. — Sartainly  I  do.  Aint  everybody's  breath 
pitched  on  a  different  key  ?  There's  as  much  differ- 
ence in  breathing  as  there  is  in  speaking. 

Chandler. — I'm  willing,  your  honor,  to  rest  the 
cause  here.  I  have  a  plenty  more  witnesses  as  good 
as  these,  but  I  consider  the  case  so  clearly  proved  that 
it  is  hardly  necessary  to  bring  on  any  more  unless  my 
friend  Stebbins  should  offer  anything  on  the  other 
side  which  may  need  to  be  answered. 

Stebbins. — I  dont  consider  it  necessary,  may  it  please 
your  honor,  for  me  to  say  a  single  word.  I  dont  con- 
sider that  there  has  been  the  least  particle  of  evidence 
offered  here  yet,  to  prove  that  John  Wadleigh  ever 
slept  a  wink  in  meeting  in  all  his  life.  And  surely 
your  honor  wont  convict  this  man  without  any  proof 
at  all  against  him.  Look  at  the  evidence,  sir ;  what 
loes  it  amount  to  ?  One  rnan  has  seen  him  lean  his 


JOHN    WADLEIGH'S    TRIAL.  25 

head,  and  another  has  heard  him  breathe ;  and  that 
is  the  sum  total.  Why,  sir,  if  you  convict  a  man  on 
such  evidence  as  this,  no  man  is  safe.  Every  man,  is 
liable  to  lean  his  head  and  to  breathe  in  meeting. 
And  if  that  is  to  be  considered  evidence  of  sleep,  I 
repeat,  who  is  safe  ?  No,  sir ;  as  I  said  before,  I  dont 
consider  it  necessary  for  me  to  say  one  word  on  the 
subject,  for  there  has  been  no  evidence  offered  to 
prove  the  offence  charged. 

Here  Lawyer  Chandler  rose  with  fire  in  his  eyes 
and  thunder  on  his  tongue. 

May  it  please  your  honor,  said  he,  I  am  astonished, 
I  am  amazed  at  the  hardihood  and  effrontery  of  my 
learned  friend,  the  counsel  on  the  opposite  side  of  this 
cause.  Why,  sir,  if  there  ever  was  a  case  made  out 
in  any  court  under  heaven,  by  clear,  positive,  and 
irresistible  evidence,  it  is  this.  Sir,  I  say,  sir,  evidence 
as  clear  as  sunshine  and  irresistible  as  thunder.  Yes, 
sir,  as  irresistible  as  thunder.  First,  sir,  an  unim- 
peachable witness  swears  to  you,  that  he  sees  the  cul- 
prit Wadleigh,  the  prisoner  at  the  bar,  gaping  in  meet- 
ing and  exhibiting  all  the  signs  of  going  to  sleep  ; 
then  he  sees  him  flatting  away  and  muzzling  about  to 
find  a  prop  for  his  head.  Now,  sir,  men  don't  want  a 
prop  for  their  heads  when  they  are  awake.  It's  only, 


26  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

when  the y  are  asleep  they  want  a  prop  for  their  heads, 
sir.  Well,  now  sir,  follow  the  prisoner  along  a  little 
further,  and  what  do  we  find,  sir  ?  Do  we  find  him 
wide  awake,  sir,  and  attending  to  the  services  as  a 
Christian  and  as  a  man  ought  to  do  ?  No,  sir.  "We 
find  him  from  tenthly  up  to  sixteenthly,  as  dead  as  a 
door  nail.  Them's  the  witnesses'  words,  sir,  as  dead 
as  a  door  nail.  What  next,  sir  ?  Why,  then  the  wit- 
ness swears  to  you,  that  when  the  congregation  rise 
up  to  prayers,  Wadleigh  comes  up  with  a  jerk,  jest 
like  opening  a  jack-knife.  Them's  the  witnesses'  very 
words,  sir.  Now,  sir,  persons  that's  awake  don't  get 
up  in  meeting  in  that  kind  of  style.  It's  only  them 
that's  waked  up  out  of  a  sudden  sleep,  that  comes  up 
with  a  jerk,  like  the  opening  of  a  jack-knife,  sir. 
What  stronger  proof  do  we  need,  or  rather  what 
stronger  proof  could  we  have,  of  all  the  outward  signs 
of  sleep,  than  we  have  from  this  witness  ?  With  regard 
to  the  internal  evidence  of  sleep,  another  witness 
swears  to  you  that  he  hears  Wadleigh  asleep  every 
Sabbath ,;  that  he  can  tell  when  a  person  is  asleep 
or  awake  by  his  breathing,  as  easily  as  he  can  tell 
whether  he's  asleep  or  awake  himself.  This  wit- 
ness swears  to  you  that  during  the  first  part  of  the 
exercises  Wadleigh  has  a  waking  breath,  and  when 


JOHN    WADLEIGH'S    TKIAL.  27 

the  minister  gets  along  to  seventhly  and  eighthly  he 
begins  to  have  a  very  sleepy  breath.  "Well,  sir,  when 
the  minister  gets  to  tenthly,  the  witness  swears  to  you 
that  Wadleigh  commonly  goes  it  like  a  porpus.  Yes, 
sir,  so  sound  asleep,  that's  the  inference,  so  sound 
asleep,  that  he  goes  it  like  a  porpus. 

Sir,  I  will  not  say  another  word.  I  will  not  waste 
words  upon  a  case  so  strong,  so  clear,  and  so  perfectly 
made  out.  If  this  evidence  doesn't  prove  the  culprit 
Wadleigh  to  be  a  common  sleeper  in  meetin  on  the 
Lord's  day,  then  there  is  no  dependence  to  be  placed 
in  human  testimony.  Sir,  I  have  done.  Whether 
this  man  is  to  be  convicted  or  not,  I  clear  my  skirts  ; 
and  when  posterity  shall  see  the  account  of  this  trial, 
should  the  culprit  go  clear,  they  may  cry  out  "  judg- 
ment has  fled  to  brutish  beasts  and  men  have  lost 
their  reason ;"  but  they  shall  not  say  Chandler  did 
not  do  his  duty. 

The  effect  of  this  speech  on  the  court  and  audience 
was  tremendous.  It  was  some  minutes  before  a  word 
was  spoken,  or  any  person  moved.  All  eyes  still  seem- 
ed to  be  rivetted  upon  Squire  Chandler.  At  last 
Squire  "Winslow  spoke. 

This  is  a  very  clear  case,  said  he ;  there  can  be  no 
question  of  the  prisoner's  guilt ;  and  he  is  sentenced 


28  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

to  be  confined  in  the  cage  four  hours,  and  in  the  stocks 
one  hour.  Constable  Cleaves  will  take  charge  of  the 
prisoner,  and  see  the  sentence  properly  executed. 


YANKEE     CHRISTMAS.  29 


CHAPTER  H. 

YANKEE  CHRISTMAS. 

The  autumnal  holiday  peculiar  to  New  England  is  Thanksgiving , 
while  in  the  middle  and  southern  States  the  great  domestic  festi- 
val is  more  generally  at  Christmas  or  New  Year's.  Whether  the 
following  historical  sketch,  therefore,  applies  with  nfbre  propriety 
to  Christmas  or  Thanksgiving,  must  depend  in  some  degree  upon 
the  latitude  in  which  Mr.  Solomon  Briggs  resides. 

f<  NEXT  Thursday  is  Christmas,"  said  Mrs.  Briggs, 
as  she  came  bustling  out  of  the  kitchen  into  the  long 
dining-room,  and  took  her  seat  at  the  breakfast  table, 
where  her  husband,  Mr.  Solomon  Briggs,  and  all  the 
children,  being  ten  in  number,  were  seated  before 
her.  If  Mrs.  Briggs  was  the  last  at  the  table,  the 
circumstance  must  not  be  set  down  as  an  index  to 
her  character,  for  she  was  a  restless,  stirring  body, 
and  was  never  the  last  anywhere,  without  good 
cause.  From  childhood  she  had  been  taught  to 
believe  that  the  old  adage,  "  the  eye  of  the  master 
does  more  work  than  both  his  hands,"  applied 
equally  well  to  the  mistress.  Accordingly,  she  was 


30  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

in  all  parts  of  the  house  at  once,  not  only  working 
with  her  own  hands,  but  overseeing  everything  that 
was  done  by  others.  Indeed,  now  that  we  have  said 
thus  much  in  favor  o/  Mrs.  Briggs,  a  due  regard  to 
impartial  justice  requires  us  to  add,  that  Mr.  Briggs 
himself,  though  a  very  quiet  sort  of  a  man,  and  not 
of  so  restless  and  mercurial  a  temperament  as  his 
wife,  could  hardly  be  said  to  be  less  industrious. 
His  guiding  motto  through  life  had  been — - 

"  He  that  by  the  plough  would  thrive, 
Himself  must  either  hold  or  drive." 

And  most  literally  had  he  been  governed  by  the 
'  precept.  He  was,  in  short,  an  industrious,  thriving 
New  England  farmer.  His  exact  location  it  is  not 
our  purpose  here  to  disclose.  We  give  our  fair 
readers,  and  unfair,  if  we  have  any,  the  whole  range 
of  ISTew  England,  from  the  shore  of  Connecticut  to 
the  Green  Mountains,  and  from  Mount  Hope  to 
Moosehead  Lake,  to  trace  him  out.  But  we  shall 
not  point  to  the  spot,  lest  Mr.  Solomon  Briggs,  seeing 
his  own  likeness  brought  home  to  his  own  door 
might  think  us  impertinent  for  meddling  with  family 
affairs. 

To  go  back  to  our  starting  point — Mrs.  Briggs, 
who  had  stopped  in  the  kitchen  till  the  last  moment, 


YANKEE     CHRISTMAS.  31 

in  order  to  see  the  last  dish  properly  prepared  for 
breakfast,  came  herself  at  last  to  the  table. 

"Next  Thursday  is  Christmas,"  said  she,  "and 
nothing  done  yet  to  prepare  for  it.  I  do  wish  we 
could  ever  have  things  in  any  sort  of  season." 

At  the  mention  of  Christmas  the  children's  eyes 
all  brightened,  from  James,  the  eldest,  who  was 
twenty-one,  down  to  Mary,  who  was  but  two  years 
old,  and  who,  $f  course,  knew  nothing  about  Christ- 
mas, but  looked  smiling  and  bright  because  all  the 
rest  did. 

Mr,  Briggs,  however,  who  considered  the  last 
remark  as  having  a  little  bearing  upon  himself, 
replied — "  That  he  should  think  three  days  was  time 
enough  to  get  a  Christmas  dinner  or  a  Christmas 
supper  good  enough  for  any  common  sort  of  folks." 

"It  would  be  time  enough  to  get  it,"  said  Mrs. 
Briggs,  "  if  we  had  anything  to  get  it  with ;  but  we 
haven't  a  mite  of  flour  in  the  house,  nor  no  meat  for 
the  mince  pies,  and  there  aint  no  poultry  killed  yet, 
neither!" 

"  Well,  well,  mother,"  said  Mr.  Briggs,  very  mod- 
erately, and  with  a  half  smile,  "just  be  patient  a 
tittle,  and  you  shall  have  as  much  Christmas  as  you 
want.  There's  a  bushel  of  as  good  wheat  as  ever  was 


32  'WAYDOWFEAST 

ground,  I  put  into  a  bag  on  Saturday;  James  can 
take  a  horse  and  cany  it  to  mill  this  morning,  and 
in  two  hours  you  may  have  a  bushel  of  good  flour. 
You've  got  butter  enough  and  lard  enough  in  the 
house,  and  if  you  want  any  plums  or  raisins,  or  any 
such  sort  of  things,  James  may  call  at  Haskall's 
store,  as  he  comes  home  from  mill,  and  get  what 
you  want.  Then  Mr.  Butterfield  is  going  to  kill  a 
beef  critter  this  morning,  and  I'm  going  to  have  a 
quarter,  so  that  before  noon  you  can  ha^e  a  hundred 
weight  of  beef  to  make  your  mince  pies  of,  and  if 
that  aint  enough,  I'll  send  to  Mr.  Butterfield's  for 
another  quarter.  And  then  there  is  five  heaping 
cart  loads  of  large  yellow  punkins  in  the  barn,  and 
there  is  five  cows  that  give  a  good  mess  of  milk; 
and  you've  got  spices  and  ginger,  and  molasses,  and 
sugar  enough  in  the  house,  so  I  don't  see  as  there 
need  be  any  difficulty  but  what  we  might  have 
punkin  pies  enough  for  all  hands.  And  as  for  the 
poultry,  it'll  be  time  enough  to  kill  that  to-morrow 
morning;  and  if  two  turkeys  aint  enough,  I'll  kill 
four,  besides  a  bushel  basket  full  of  chickens.  So 
now  go  on  with  your  birds'-egging,  and  make  your 
Christmas  as  fast  as  you  please,  and  as  much  of  it." 
When  this  speech  was  ended,  the  children  clapped 


YANKEE     CHRISTMAS.  33 

their  hands  and  laughed,    and    said,   "never  fear 
father — he  always  brings  it  out  right  at  last." 

From  that  hour  forth,  for  three  days,  there  was 
unusual  hurry  and  bustle  throughout  the  house  of 
Solomon  Briggs.  In  the  kitchen  particularly  there 
was  constant  and  great  commotion.  The  oven  was 
hot  from  morning  till  night,  and  almost  from  night 
till  morning.  There  was  baking  of  pound  cake,  and 
plum  cake,  and  sponge  cake,  and  Christmas  cake, 
and  ]STew  Year's  cake,  and  all  sorts  of  cake  that 
could  be  found  in  the  cook  book.  Then  there 
were  ovens  full  of  mince  pies,  and  apple  pies,  and 
custard  pies,  and  all  sorts  of  pies.  The  greatest 
display  of  pies,  however,  was  of  the  pumpkin  tribe. 
There  were  "  punkin  pies"  baked  on  large  platters  for 
Christmas  dinner,  and  others  on  large  plates  for 
breakfast  and  supper  a  month  afterwards ;  and  others 
still,  in  saucers,  for  each  of  the  small  children.  In 
the  next  place,  there  was  a  pair  of  plum  puddings, 
baked  in  the  largest  sized  earthen  pots,  and  Indian 
puddings  and  custard  puddings  to  match.  And  then 
the  roastings  that  were  shown  up  on  the  morning  of 
Christmas  were  in  excellent  keeping  with  the  rest  of 
the  preparations.  Besides  a  fine  sirloin  of  beef,  two 

fat  turkeys  were  roasted,  two  geese,  and  a  half  a 

2* 


'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 


dozen  chickens.  And  then  another  half  dozen  of 
chickens  were  made  into  an  enormous  chicken  pie, 
and  baked  in  a  milk  pan. 

A  query  may  arise,  perhaps,  in  the  mind  of  the 
reader,  why  such  &  profusion  of  food  should  be 
cooked  up  at  once  for  a  single  family,  and  that 
family,  too,  not  unreasonably  large,  though  respectable 
in  number,  for  it  did  not  count  over  sixteen,  includ- 
ing domestics,  hired  help  and  all.  This  is  a  very 
natural  error  for  the  reader  to  fall  into,  but  it  is  an 
error  nevertheless.  This  array  of  food  was  not  pre- 
pared for  a  single  family;  but  for  a  numerous 
company,  to  be  made  up  from  many  families  in  the 
neighborhood.  The  truth  was,  Mr.  Briggs  was  well 
to  do  in  the  world,  a  circumstance  owing  to  his  long 
course  of  patient  industry  and  economical  habits. 
Several  of  his  children  were  now  nearly  men  and 
women  grown,  full  of  life  and  fond  of  fun,  as  most 
young  folks  are.  Mrs.  Briggs  also  was  very  fond  of 
society,  and  a  little  vain  of  her  smart  family  of  chil- 
dren, as  well  as  of  her  good  cooking.  From  these 
premises,  a  gathering  of  several  of  the  neighbors  at 
Mr.  Briggs's  house,  to  eat  a  Christmas  dinner,  and  a 
still  larger  company  of  young  folks  towards  night,  to 
spend  a  Christmas  evening  wo  aid  not  be  a  very 


YANKEE     CHRISTMAS.  35 

unnatural  consequence.     Such  was  the  consequence, 
as  we  shall  presently  see. 

We  shall  not  stop  to  give  a  particular  account  of 
the  dinner,  as  that  was  a  transaction  performed  in  the 
daytime,  openly  and  above-board,  and  could  be  seen 
and  understood  by  everybody;  but  the  evening 
company,  and  the  supper,  and  the  frolic,  as  they 
were  hid  from  the  world  by  the  darkness  of  the  night, 
need  more  elucidation.  We  must  not  dismiss  the 
dinner,  however,  without  remarking  that  it  fallfilled 
every  expectation,  and  gave  entire  satisfaction  to  all 
parties.  A  table  of  extra  length  was  spread  in  the 
long  dining  hall,  which  was  graced  by  a  goodly  circle 
of  elderly  people,  besides  many  of  the  middle-aged 
and  the  young.  And  when  we  state  that  the  loin  of 
beef  was  reduced  to  a  skeleton ;  that  two  turkeys,  one 
goose,  and  five  chickens,  vanished  in  the  twinkling  of 
a  case-knife ;  that  the  large  milk  pan,  containing  the 
chicken-pie,  was  explored  and  cleared  to  the  very 
bottom ;  and  that  three  or  four  large  pu  idings  and  a 
couple  of  acres  of  "  punkin  pie "  were  among  the 
things  lost  in  the  dessert,  we  think  it  has  been  suffi- 
ciently shown  that  due  respect  was  paid  to  Mrs. 
Briggs's  dinner,  and  that  her  culinary  skill  should  not 
be  called  in  question. 


36  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

"  Now,  James,  who's  coming  here  to-night  '$"  said 
Susan,  the  eldest  daughter,  a  bright,  blue-eyed 
girl  of  eighteen.  "Who  have  you  asked?  Jest 
name  'em  over,  will  you  ?" 

"Oh,  I  can't  name  'em  over,"  said  James;  "jest 
wait  an  hour  or  two  and  you'll  see  for  yourself.  I've 
asked  pretty  much  all  the  young  folks  within  a  mile 
or  two  ;  as  much  as  twenty  of  'em  I  guess." 

"  "Well,  ha^  e  you  asked  Betsy  Harlow  ?"  said  Susan. 

"  Yes,  and  Ivory  too,  if  that's  what  you  want  to 
know,"  said  James. 

"  Nobody  said  anything  about  Ivory,"  said  Susan, 
as  the  color  came  to  her  cheek,  and  she  turned  to  go 
out  of  the  room. 

"  Here,  Suky,  come  back  here,"  said  James,  "  I've 
got  something  to  tell  you." 

"What  is  it?"  said  Susan,  turning  round  at  the 
door,  and  waiting. 

"They  say  Ivory  is  waiting  on  Harriet  Gibbs; 
what  do  you  think  of  that  ?"  said  James. 

"  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it,"  said  Susan,  coloring 
still  more  deeply. 

"  Well,  Harriet  will  be  here  this  evening,"  said 
James  "  and  then  may  be  you  can  judge  for  yourself." 

"  Is  her  brother  coining  with  her?"  said  Susan. 


YANKEE     CHRISTMAS.  37 

"George  is  coming,"  said  James,  "but  whether 
she  will  come  with  him,  or  with  Ivory  Harlow, 
remains  to  be  seen." 

That  Christmas  was  rather  a  cold  day,  and  as  night 
approached,  it  grew  still  colder. 

"  Pile  on  more  wood,"  said  Mr.  Briggs,  "  get  your 
rooms  warm,  so  there  shan't  be  no  shiverin'  or 
huddling  about  the  fire  this  evening." 

The  boys  were  never  more  ready  to  start  promptly 
at  their  father's  bidding  than  they  were  on  this  occa- 
sion. The  large  fire-place  in  the  long  dining-room 
was  piled  full  of  round  sticks  of  heavy  wood  almost 
up  to  the  mantel ;  and  the  fires  in  the  "  fore  room" 
and  in  the  end  room  were  renewed  with  equal  bounty. 
By  early  candle-light,  the  company  began  to  drop  in 
one  after  another,  and  by  twos  and  threes  in  pretty 
frequent  succession.  There  were  stout  boys  in  round 
jackets,  and  stouter  boys  in  long-tailed  coats,  and 
rosy-cheeked  girls  in  shawls,  and  blankets,  and 
cloaks,  and  muffs,  and  tippets.  Some  of  the  middle- 
aged  and  e.derly  people  who  had  remained  to  pass 
the  evening,  sat  in  the  "fore  room"  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Briggs,  while  the  young  folks  were  huddled  in'  o 
the  end  room,  till  the  supper  table  should  be  sproad 
in  the  long  dining-hall. 


88 

"There's  Ivory  Harlow's  bells,"  said  James,  as  a 
sleigli  came  with  a  merry  gingle  up  to  the  door ;  and 
instantly  the  windows  were  crowded  with  heads  look- 
ing out  to  see  who  had  come  with  him.  Ivory  lived 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  distant  and  was  the  only  one 
who  came  with  a  sleigh  that  evening,  as  most  of  the 
others  lived  considerably  nearer. 

"  Why,  there's  four  of  'em,  as  true  as  I  live,"  said 
Susan,  as  they  crossed  the  stream  of  candle  light, 
that  poured  from  the  windows  and  spread  across  the 
door  yard.  One  of  the  younger  boys  had  already 
opened  the  door,  and  in  a  moment  more  the  new 
comers  were  ushered  into  the  room,  viz  :  Ivory  Har- 
low  and  his  sister  Betsy,  and  Harriet  Gibbs,  and  a 
strange  gentleman,  whom  Ivory  introduced  to  the 
company  as  Mr.  Stephen  Long,  the  gentleman  who 
was  engaged  to  keep  the  district  school  that  winter. 
And  then  he  turned  and  whispered  to  James,  and 
told  him  that  the  master  had  arrived  at  their  house 
that  afternoon,  as  he  was  to  begin  the  school  the  next 
day,  so  he  thought  he  would  bring  him  with  him. 

"That's  jest  right,"  said  James,  "I'm  glad  you 
did;"  though  at  the  same  time  his  heart  belied  his 
words,  for  he  felt  afraid  it  would  spoil  half  the  fun  of 
the  evening.  The  boys  and  girls  all  at  once  put  on 


YANKEE     CHRISTMAS.  59 

x* 

long  and  sober  laces,  and  sat  and  stood  round  the 
room  as  quiet  as  though  they  had  been  at  a  funeral. 
Presently  Susan  whispered  to  James  and  told  him  he 
ought  to  take  the  master  into  the.  "  fore  room,"  and 
introduce  him  to  father  and  mother  and  the  rest  of 
the  folks.  "  And  I'd  leave  him  there,  if  I  was  you," 
she  added  in  a  very  suppressed  whisper,  lest  she 
should  be  overheard. 

James  at  once  followed  the  suggestion  of  Susan, 
and  took  Mr.  Stephen  Long  into  the  other  room  and 
introduced  him  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Briggs  and  the  rest 
of  the  company,  and  a  chair  was  of  course  set  for 
Mr.  Long,  and  he  of  course  sat  down  in  it  and  began 
to  talk  about  the  weather  and  other  subjects  of  like 
interest,  while  James  retreated  back  into  the  end 
room.  The  moment  the  master  had  left  the  room  the 
boys  and  girls  all  began  to  breathe  more  freely,  and 
to  bustle  about,  and  talk  and  laugh  as  merry  as 
crickets.  ~Not  a  few  regrets  were  thrown  out  from 
one  and  another,  that  the  school-master  had  been 
brought  there  to  spend  the  evening,  and  some  of 
them  thought  "  Ive  Harlow  ought  to  a-known  better, 
for  he  might  know  it  would  spoil  half  their  play." 
But  it  seems  they  had  not  rightly  estimated  Mr. 
Stephen  Long's  social  and  youthful  qualities, 


40  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

although  two  or  three  and  twenty  years  old,  was 
almost  as  much  of  a  boy  as  any  in  the  room.  He 
had  not  been  gone  more  than  fifteen  minutes  before 
he  came  back  into  the  room  with  the  young  folks 
again,  much  to  the  dismay  of  the  whole  company. 

A  cloud  immediately  settled  upon  their  faces ;  all 
were  whist  as  mice,  and  sober  as  deacons,  till  Mr. 
Stephen  Long  came  across  the  room  with  an  exceed- 
ingly droll  expression  of  merriment  upon  his  face, 
and  gave  Jame?  a  hearty  slap  on  the  back,  saying  at 
the  same  time : 

""Well,  now,  what's  the  order  of  the  day  here 
to-night?  Dance,  or  forfeits,  or  blind  man's  bluff? 
I'm  for  improving  the  time." 

At  once  the  whole  company  burst  out  into  a  loud 
laugh,  and  several  of  the  juniors,  feeling  such  a  burden 
suddenly  removed  from  them,  fell  to  pounding  each 
other's  shoulders,  probably  to  prevent  them  in  their 
lightness  from  flying  of  the  handle. 

"  I  guess  we'll  have  something  or  other  a  going  bime 
by,"  said  James  ;  "  whatever  the  company  likes  best ; 
but  I  guess  we'll  have  supper  first,  for  that's  about 
ready." 

The  words  were  but  just  uttered  when  the  call  for 
supper  was  given,  and  the  fore-room,  and  the  end 


YANKEE     CHRISTMAS.  4:1 

room  poured  out  their  respective  companies  into 
the  long  dining-hall.  It  was  soon  perceived  that,  long 
as  the  table  was,  they  could  not  all  be  seated  at  once, 
and  there  began  to  be  some  canvassing  to  determine 
who  should  wait.  The  elderly  people  must  of  course 
sit  down,  and  the  school-master  must  of- course  sit 
at  the  first  table,  and  then  it  was  decided  that  the 
youngest  of  the  young  folks  should  sit  down  too 
because  the  eldest  of  the  young  folks  chose  to  wait  and 
eat  by  themselves.  To  this  last  arrangement  there 
was  one  exception ;  for  Miss  Harriet  Gibbs,  when  she 
saw  the  school-master  seated  on  one  side  of  the  table, 
had  somehow  or  other,  inadvertently  of  course,  taken  a 
seat  on  the  other  side  directly  opposite  to  him.  And 
when,  as  the  young  folks  were  retiring  from  the  room, 
Ivory  Harlow  looked  at  her  and  saw  she  had  con- 
cluded to  remain,  Susan  thought  she  saw  considerable 
color  come  into  Ivory's  face. 

When  the  first  company  at  the  table  had  eaten  up 
two  rows  of  pies  clear  round  the  board,  including 
mince,  apple  and  custard,  and  "  punkin  pies,"  of  the 
largest  class,  together  with  a  reasonable  portion  of 
various  kinds  of  cakes  and  sweetmeats,  and  had  given 
place  to  the  second  company  at  the  table,  who  had 
gone  through  similar  operations  to  a  similar  extent, 


WAY     DOWN     EAST. 

the  great  dining-hall  was  speedily  cleared  of  dishes, 
and  chairs,  and  tables,  and  all  such  sorts  of  trumpery, 
that  there  might  be  nothing  tc  impede  the  real  busi- 
ness of  the  evening. 

The  elderly  people  were  again  seated  in  the  fore- 
room,  where  a  brisk  fire  was  blazing  so  warmly  that 
they  could  sit  back  comfortably  clear  to  the  walls ;  and 
around  the  hearth  was  a  goodly  array  of  mugs  and 
pitchers  of  cider,  and  bowls  heaped  with  mellow 
apples,  red  and  yellow  and  green. 

"  Now,  then,  what  shall  we  have  to  begin  with  ?" 
said  James. 

"  Blind  man's  buff,"  said  George  Gibbs. 

"  Suppose  we  have  a  quiet  dance  to  begin  with  ?" 
said  Susan. 

"  Oh,  I'd  rather  have  something  that  has  more  life 
in  it,"  said  Harriet  Gibbs  ;  "  let's  have  '  hunt  the  slip- 
per,' or  i  forfeits,'  I  don't  care  which. 

"  Oh  get  away  with  them  small  potatoes,"  said  Bill 
Dingley ;  "  let's  go  right  into  blind  man's  buff  at 
once  ;  that's  the  stuff  for  Christmas." 

"  You  know  we  must  please  the  ladies,  Bill,"  said 
James  Briggs,  "  I  guess  we'll  have  a  sort  of  game  at 
forfeits  first,  as  Miss  Gibbs  proposed  it." 

"  Well,  agreed,"  said  all  hands. 


YANKEE     CHRISTMAS.  4:3 

Accordingly  tlie  company  arranged  themselves  in  a 
circle  round  the  large  hall,  holding  the  palms  of  their 
hands  together,  and  James  took  a  piece  of  money 
between  his  hands  and  passed  round  to  each  one  of 
the  company,  and  made  the  motion  to  drop  the  money 
into  the  hands  of  each. 

"  Button,  button,  who's  got  the  button?"  said  James 
to  the  head  one,  when  he  had  been  round  the  circle. 

"  Harriet  Gibbs,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Button,  button,  who's  got  the  button  ?"  said  James 
to  the  next. 

"  Betsey  Harlow,"  answered  the  next. 

At  last,  when  James  had  been  clear  round  the  circle 
and  questioned  each  one  in  like  manner,  he  called  out, 

"  Them  that's  got  it,  rise." 

At  once  up  hopped  Sam  Nelson,  a  sly  little  red- 
headed fellow  about  a  dozen  years  old,  whom  no  one 
suspected  of  having  it,  and  of  course  no  one  had 
guessed  him.  Every  one  of  the  company,  therefore, 
had  to  pay  a  forfeit. 

"  I  move  we  redeem,  before  we  go  any  further," 
said  Ivory  Harlow. 

The  motion  was  seconded  all  round,  and  the  forfeits 
were  accordingly  collected,  and  James  selecting  a 
couple,  held  them  over  Harriet  Gibbs's  head. 


44 

"  Whose  two  pawns  are  these  ?"  said  he,  "  and  what 
shall  he  and  she  do  to  redeem  them  ?" 

"  The  lady  shall  kiss  the  schoolmaster,"  said  Har- 
riet, "  and  the  gentleman  shall  go  into  the  fore-room 
and  kiss  Mrs.  Briggs. 

"  Miss  Harriet  Gibbs  and  Mr.  Ivory  Harlow  go  and 
do  it,"  said  James. 

"  Oh,  la  me !  I  shant  do  no  sich  thing,"  said  Harriet 
with  a  half  scream. 

"  Then  you  don't  have  your  ring  again,"  said  James. 

"  Well,  then,  I  suppose  I  must  do  it,  or  I  shall  be 
setting  a  bad  example  to  the  rest,"  said  Harriet.  And 
away  she  run  across  the  room  to  Mr.  Stephen  Long, 
and  at  once  gave  the  whole  company  audible  evidence 
that  she  had  fully  redeemed  her  ring. 

Ivory  Harlow  walked  leisurely  into  the  fore-room. 
What  he  did  there  the  young  people  could  not  certainly 
say,  but  from  the  hearty  laugh  that  came  from  the 
elderly  people  there  assembled,  they  inferred  that  he 
did  something,  and  on  his  return  James  gave  him 
up  his  pawn. 

James  then  selected  two  more  of  the  forfeits,  and 
held  them  over  Bill  Dingley's  head. 

"Whose  two  pawns  are  these,  and  what  shall  he 
and  she  do  to  redeem  them  ?"  said  James. 


YANKEE     CHRISTMAS.  45 

"  They  shall  kiss  each  other  through  a  chair  back," 
said  Bill. 

"  Miss  Susan  Briggs  and  Mr.  Stephen  Long  have 
got  to  do  it,"  said  James. 

Whereupon  Mr.  Stephen  Long  readily  took  a  chair 
and  approached  Miss  Susan  Briggs.  But  Miss  Susan, 
when  she  saw  the  school-master  coming  towards  her, 
holding  a  chair  up  to  his  face,  and  his  lips  poking 
through  the  back  of  it,  colored  up  to  thffeyes  and 
turned  away. 

"  Do  it,  do  it !"  cried  half  the  company,  "  or  you 
shan't  have  your  hankerchief." 

Mr.  Stephen  Long  seemed  bent  upon  redeeming  his 
pawn  at  any  rate,  and  he  followed  Miss  Susan  with 
the  chair  with  an  earnestness  that  showed  he  did  not 
mean  to  be  baffled.  When  Miss  Susan  found  herself 
cornered,  and  could  retreat  no  further,  she  kissed  her 
hand  and  tossed  it  at  the  chair. 

"  That  wont  do,"  cried  half  a  dozen  voices. 

"  I  had  to  redeem  mine,"  said  Harriet  Gibbs,  "  and 
it's  no  more  than  fair  that  she  should  redeem  hers." 

"  Well,  you  may  redeem  mine  too,  if  you  are  a 
mind  to,"  said  Susan,  pushing  the  chair  from  her 
with  her  hand. 

Wlien  Mr.  Stephen    Long   found  he  could   not 


46  'WAY   DOWN   EAST, 

redeem  his  pawn  through  the  chair,  he  declared  he 
would  redeem  it  without  the  chair.  So  setting  the 
chair  down,  he  commenced  a  fresh  attack  upon  Miss 
Susan,  who  held  both  hands  tightly  over  her  face. 
After  some  violence,  however,  the  company  heard 
the  appropriate  signal  of  triumph,  but  whether  the 
victory  had  been  achieved  upon  cheek  or  hand, 
always  remained  matter  of  doubt. 

In  redeeming  the  rest  of  the  pawns,  the  penalties 
were  as  various  as  the  characters  of  the  several  per- 
sons who  stood  judges.  One  had  to  measure  half  a 
dozen  yards  of  love  ribbon.  One  had  to  hop  across 
the  room  on  one  foot  backwards.  Another  had  to 
kneel  to  the  prettiest,  bow  to  the  wittiest,  and  kiss 
the  one  he  loved  best.  But  when  Bill  Dingley  stood 
as  judge,  he  declared  he  wasn't  in  favor  of  any  half- 
way punishments,  and  he  accordingly  adjudged  the 
delinquents  to  kiss  every  lady  and  gentleman  in  the 
room ;  that  is,  the  lady  to  kiss  the  gentlemen,  and  the 
gentleman  to  kiss  the  ladies,  which  penalties  the 
aforesaid  delinquents  performed  according  to  the  best 
of  their  abilities. 

When  the  game  of  pawns  was  over,  the  general 
vote  seemed  to  be  in  favor  of  blind  man's  buff. 
James  had  to  blind  first,  and  he  whirled  about  the 


YANKEE     CHRISTMAS.  47 

room,  and  flew  from  side  to  side,  and  corner  to  corner, 
with  as  much  ease  and  boldness  as  though  he  had 
nothing  over  his  eyes ;  and  he  kept  the  company 
continually  flying  from  one  end  of  the  hall  to  the 
other,  like  a  flock  of  frightened  pigeons.  He,  how- 
ever, killed  them  off  pretty  fast,  by  catching  one 
after  another,  and  sending  them  into  the  end  room. 
While  they  were  running  for  their  lives,  this  way  and 
that,  Ivory  Harlow  couldn't  help  noticing  that,  some- 
how or  other,  Harriet  Gibbs  most  always  blundered 
into  the  same  corner  where  the  school-master  was ; 
and  sometimes  she  would  run  right  against  him 
before  she  saw  him ;  and  then  sometimes  she  would 
almost  fall  down,  and  the  school-master  would  have  to 
catch  hold  of  her  to  keep  her  from  falling.  More 
than  jonce  that  evening,  Ivory  wished  he  had  not 
brought  her,  and  more  than  twice  he  wished  Susan 
Briggs  might  forget  that  he  did  bring  her. 

The  brisk  running  and  bustle  at  blind  man's  buff 
drew  the  elderly  people  to  the  door  of  the  fore  room, 
where  they  stood  and  looked  on.  When  James  had 
caught  about  half  the  company,  Mrs.  Briggs  could 
not  stand  it  any  longer.  She  slipped  off  her  shoes, 
and  in  she  went  right  among  them,  and  joined  in  the 
game ;  and  she  ran  about  lighter  and  quicker  than 


48  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

any  girl  there.  So  much,  upon  the  alert  was  she,  and 
moved  about  with  such  noiseless  and  nimble  foot- 
steps, that  she  was  in  fact  the  very  last  to  be  taken. 
And  when  at  last  she  was  cornered  and  caught, 
James  was  a  little  puzzled  to  know  who  it  was,  for 
he  felt  almost  sure  he  had  caught  all  the  large  girls. 
But  when  he  put  his  hand  upon  her  head,  and  face, 
and  neck,  and  shoulders,  he  exclaimed, 

"  Well  done,  mother ;  this  is  you.    Now  you  shall 
blind." 

"  Oh,  no,  I  can't  do  that,  James,"  said  Mrs.  Briggs, 
retreating  toward  the  fore-room. 

"  Yes,  but  you  must,"  said  James,  "  you  are  the 
last  caught." 

"  Yes,  yes,  you  must,  you  must,"  echoed  the  young 
folks  from  all  sides. 

"  Well,"  said  Mrs.  Briggs  at  last,  "  if  Mr. 'Briggs 
and  the  rest  of  'em  will  come  out  and  run,  I'll  blind." 

The  elderly  people  stood  and  looked  at  each  other 
a  minute,  and  at  last  they  haw  hawed  right  out,  and 
then  half  a  dozen  of  them  came  out  upon  the  floor  to 
join  the  game.  The  handkerchief  was  put  upon  Mrs. 
Briggs's  eyes,  and  the  old  folks  commenced  running, 
and  the  old  folks  stepped  heavy,  and  the  young  folks 
laughed  loud,  and  there  was  a  most  decided  racket. 


YANKEE     CHKISTMAS.  49 

X 

Mrs.  Briggs,  however,  soon  cleared  the  coast,  for  she 
was  spry  as  a  cat,  and  caught  her  prey  as  fast  as  that 
useful  animal  would  do  when  shut  up  in  a  room  with 
a  flock  of  mice. 

When  this  run  was  over,  the  play  went  back  again 
exclusively  into  the  hands  of  the  young  folks,  and  af- 
ter several  of  them  had  been  blinded,  it  came  at  last 
to  Bill  Dingley's  turn.  Bill  went  into  it  like  a  day's 
work.  He  leaped  upon  his  prey  like  a  tiger  among 
sheep.  He  ran  over  one,  and  tripped  up  another, 
knocked  one  this  way  and  another  that,  and  caught 
three  or  four  in  his  arms  at  once.  He  made  very  quick 
work  of  it,  and  caught  them  all  off,  but  when  he  got 
through,  two  or  three  were  rubbing  the  bruises  on 
their  heads,  and  one  was  bleeding  at  the  nose.  This 
wound  up  the  blind  man's  buff. 

Mrs.  Briggs  then  came  out  and  told  Susan  to  get  a 
table  out  -in  the  middle  of  the  room.  She  then 
brought  forward  a  couple  of  nice  little  loaves  of 
Christmas  cake,  and  placed  them  on  a  couple  of  plates, 
and  cut  them  up  into  as  many  slices  as  there  were 
young  folks  present,  men  and  women  grown. 

"  Now,"  said  Mrs.  Briggs,  "  we'll  see  which  of  you 
is  going  to  be  married  first.  These  two  cakes  have 
each  of  'em  a  Christmas  ring  in  them ;  and  which- 


50  'WAY    DOWN    EAST, 

ever  gets  the  slice  that  has  the  ring  in  it,  will  be  mar- 
ried before  the  year  is  out.  So  all  the  gals  over  six- 
teen years  old  stand  up  in  a  row  on  one  side,  and  all 
the  young  men  over  eighteen  stand  up  in  a  row  on 
the  other  side,  and  I'll  pass  the  cake  round." 

She  carried  it  round  to  the  young  men  first,  and 
each  took  a  slice  and  commenced  eating  to  ascertain 
who  had  the  ring. 

"  By  jings,  I  haven't  got  it,"  said  Billy  Dingley, 
swallowing  his  cake  at  three  mouthfuls. 

"  May  be  you've  swallowed  it,"  said  George  Gibbs. 

"'Well,  them  that's  got  it,"  said  Mrs.  Briggs, 
"  please  to  keep  quiet  till  we  find  out  which  of  the 
gals  has  the  other." 

She  then  passed  the  cake  round  to  the  young  ladies. 
When  she  came  to  Susan,  Harriet  Gibbs,  who  was 
standing  by  her  side,  said : 

"  It's  no  use  for  any  of  the  rest  of  us  to  try,  foi 
Susan  knows  which  slice  'tis  in,  and  she'll  get  it." 

"  No,  that  isn't  fair,"  said  Mrs.  Briggs ;  "  I  put  the 
rings  in  myself,  and  nobody  else  knows  anything 
about  it." 

The  young  ladies  then  took  their  slices,  and  Mrs. 
Briggs  passed  on  to  Sally  Dingley,  Bill's  sister,  who 
being  on  the  wrong  side  of  forty,  did  not  stand  in  the 


YANKEE     CHRISTMAS.  51 

row,  and  rather  declined  taking  the  cake.  Mrs.  Briggs 
urged  her,  and  told  her  she  must  take  some ;  when 
Bill  suddenly  called  out : 

"  Take  hold,  Sal,  take  hold  and  try  your  luck ;  as 
long  as  there's  life  there's  hope." 

Miss  Sally  Dingley  run  across  the  room  and  boxed 
Bill's  ears,  and  then  came  back  and  said  she'd  take  a 
piece  of  cake. 

"  For  who  knows,"  said  she,  "  but  what  I  shall  get 
the  ring ;  and  who  knows  but  what  I  shall  be  married 
before  any  of  you,  now  ?" 

After  the  young  ladies  had  eaten  their  cake,  Mrs. 
Briggs  called  upon  them  that  had  the  rings  to  step 
forward  into  the  floor.  Upon  which,  Ivory  Harlow 
stepped  out  on  one  side,  and  Harriet  Gibbs  on  the 
other. 

"  Ah,  that  ain't  fair ;  that's  cheatin,  that's  cheatin," 
cried  out  little  Sam  Nelson. 

"  Why,  what  do  you  mean  by  that,  Sam  ?"  said  Mrs. 
Briggs. 

"  Cause,"  said  Sam,  "  I  see  Susan,  when  she  was 
eating  the  cake,  take  the  ring  out  of  her  mouth,  and 
slip  it  into  Harriet  Gibbs's  hand." 

At  this  Susan  blushed,  Harriet  looked  angry,  and 
the  company  laughed. 


52 

By  this  time  it  was  twelve  o'clock,  and  the  elderly 
people  began  to  think  it  was  time  for  them  to  be 
moving  homeward.  And  as  soon  as  they  were  gone, 
the  young  folks  put  on  their  shawls  and  cloaks  and 
hats,  and  prepared  to  follow  them.  Before  they  went, 
however,  Ivory  Harlow  got  a  chance  to  whisper  to 
Susan  Briggs,  and  tell  her,  that  he  supposed  he  should 
have  to  carry  Harriet  home  this  time,  but  it  was  the 
last  time  he  should  ever  carry  her  anywhere,  as  long 
as  his  name  was  Ivory  Harlow. 


THE     TOUGH     YARN. 


CHAPTEB  HI. 

THE   TOUGH   YARUI 

MAJOR  GRANT  of  Massachusetts  was  returning  home 
from  Moosehead  Lake,  where  he  had  been  to  look 
after  one  of  his  newly-purchased  townships,  and  to 
sell  stumpage  to  the  loggers  for  the  ensuing  winter, 
when  he  stopped  for  the  night  at  a  snug  tavern  in  one 
of  the  back  towns  in  Maine,  and  having  been  to  the 
stable,  and  seen  with  his  own  eyes  that  his  horse  was 
well  provided  with  hay  and  grain,  he  returned  to  the 
bar-room,  laid  aside  his  cloak,  and  took  a  seat  by  the 
box  stove,  which  was  waging  a  hot  war  with  the  cold 
and  raw  atmosphere  of  November. 

The  major  was  a  large,  portly  man,  well  to  do  in 
the  world,  and  loved  his  comfort.  Having  called  for 
a  mug  of  hot  flip,  he  loaded  his  long  pipe,  and  pre- 
pared for  a  long  and  comfortable  smoke.  He  was 
also  a  very  social  man,  and  there  being  but  one  person 
in  the  room  with  him,  he  invited  him  to  join  him  in 
a  tumbler  of  flip.  This  gentleman  was  Doctor  Snow, 


54 

an  active  member  of  a  temperance  society,  and  there- 
fore lie  politely  begged  to  be  excused ;  but  having  a 
good  share  of  the  volubility  natural  to  his  profession, 
he  readily  entered  into  conversation  with  the  major, 
answered  many  of  his  inquiries  about  the  townships 
in  that  section  of  the  State,  described  minutely  the 
process  of  lumbering,  explained  how  it  might  be  made 
profitable,  and  showed  why  it  was  often  attended  with 
great  loss.  A  half  hour  thus  passed  imperceptibly 
away,  and  the  doctor  rose,  drew  his  wrapper  close 
about  him,  and  placed  his  cap  on  his  head.  The 
major  looked  round  the  room  with  an  air  of  uneasiness. 

"  What,  going  so  soon,  Doctor  ?  No  more  company 
nere  to-night,  think  ?  Dull  business,  Doctor,  to  sit 
alone  one  of  these  long  tedious  evenings.  Always 
want  somebody  to  talk  with ;  man  wasn't  made  to  be 
alone,  you  know." 

"  True,"  said  the  doctor,  "  and  I  should  be  happy 
to  spend  the  evening  with  you;  but  I  have  to  go  three 
miles  to  see  a  patient  yet  to-night,  and  it's  high  time  I 
was  off.  But  luckily,  Major,  you  won't  be  left  alone 
after  all,  for  there  comes  Jack  Robinson,  driving  his 
horse  and  wagon  into  the  yard  now  ;  and  I  presume 
he'll  not  only  spend  the  evening  with  you,  but  stop 
all  night." 


THE     TOUGH     YARN.  55 

"  Well,  that's  good  news,"  said  the  Major,  "if  he'll 
only  talk.  Will  he  talk,  Doctor  ?" 

"  Talk  ?  yes  !  till  all  is  blue.  He's  the  greatest 
talker  you  ever  met.  I'll  tell  you  what  'tis,  Major,  I'll 
bet  the  price  of  your  reckoning  here  to-night,  that 
you  may  ask  him  the  most  direct  simple  question  you 
please,  and  you  shan't  get  an  answer  from  him  under 
half  an  hour,  and  he  shall  keep  talking  a  steady  stream 
the  whole  time,  too." 

"  Done,"  said  the  major ;  "  'tis  a  bet.  Let  us  under- 
stand it  fairly,  now.  You  say  I  may  ask  him  any 
simple,  plain  question  I  please,  and  he  shall  be  half 
an  hour  answering  it,  and  talk  all  the  time  too  ;  and 
you  will  bet  my  night's  reckoning  of  it." 

"  That's  the  bet  exactly,"  said  the  doctor. 

Here  the  parties  shook  hands  upon  it,  just  as  the 
door  opened,  and  Mr.  Jack  Robinson  came  limping 
into  the  room,  supported  by  a  crutch,  and  with  some- 
thing of  a  bustling,  care-for-nothing  air,  hobbled  along 
toward  the  fire.  The  doctor  introduced  Mr.  Jack 
Robinson  to  Major  Grant,  and  after  the  usual  saluta- 
tions and  shaking  of  hands,  Mr.  Robinson  took  his 
seat  upon  the  other  side  of  the  stove,  opposite  the 
major. 

Mr.  Jack  Robinson  was  a  small,  brisk  man,  witb 


56 


a  grey  twinkling  eye,  and  a  knowing  expression  of 
countenance.  As  he  carefully  settled  himself  into  hia 
chair,  resting  his  lame  limb  against  the  edge  of  the 
stove-hearth,  he  threw  his  hat  carelessly  upon  the 
floor,  laid  his  crutch  across  his  knee,  and  looked  round 
with  a  satisfied  air,  that  seemed  to  say,  "  JSTow,  gentle- 
men, if  you  want  to  know  the  time  of  day,  here's  the 
boy  that  can  tell  ye." 

"Allow  me,  Mr.  Kobinson,  to  help  you  to  a 
tumbler  of  hot  flip,"  said  the  major,  raising  the  mug 
from  the  stove. 

"With  all  my  heart,  and  thank  ye  too,"  said 
Robinson,  taking  a  sip  from  the  tumbler.  "  I  believe 
there's  nothing  better  for  a  cold  day  than  a  hot  flip. 
I've  known  it  to  cure  many  a  one  who  was  thought  to 
be  in  a  consumption.  There's  something  so  " — 

"And  I  have  known  it,"  said  the  doctor,  shrug- 
ging his  shoulders,  "to  kill  many  a  one  that  was 
thought  to  have  an  excellent  constitution  and  sound 
health." 

"There's  something  so  warming,"  continued  Mr. 
Kobinson,  following  up  his  own  thoughts  so  earnestly 
that  he  seemed  not  to  have  heard  the  remark  of  the 
doctor  "  there's  something  so  warming  and  so  nou- 
rishing in  hot  flip,  it  seems  to  give  new  life  to  the 


THE     TOTTGH     ?  A  R  IT  .  57 

blood,  and  puts  the  insides  all  in  good  trim.  And  as 
for  cold  weather,  it  will  keep  that  out  better  than  any 
double-milled  kersey  or  fearnot  great  coat  that  I  ever 
see. 

"  I  could  drive  twenty  miles  in  a  cold  day  with  a 
good  mug  of  hot  flip  easier  than  I  could  ten  miles 
without  it.  And  this  is  a  cold  day,  gentlemen,  a  rea^ 
cold  day,  there's  n .  mistake  about  it.  This  norwester 
cuts  like  a  razor.  But  tain't  nothing  near  so  cold  as 
'twas  a  year  ago,  the  twenty-second  day  of  this 
month.  That  day,  it  seemed  as  if  your  breath  would 
freeze  stiff  before  it  got  an  inch  from  your  mouth.  I 
drove  my  little  Canada  grey  in  a  sleigh  that  day 
twelve  miles  in  forty-five  minutes,  and  froze  two  of 
my  toes  on  my  lame  leg  as  stiff  as  maggots.  Them 
toes  chill  a  great  deal  quicker  than  they  do  on  t'other 
foot.  In  my  well  days  I  never  froze,  the  coldest  day 
that  ever  blew.  But  that  cold  snap,  the  twenty- 
second  day  of  last  November,  if  my  little  grey 
hadn't  gone  like  a  bird,  would  have  done  the  job  for 
my  poor  lame  foot.  When  I  got  home  I  found  two 
of  my  sheep  dead,  and  they  were  under  a  good  shed, 
too.  And  one  of  my  neighbors,  poor  fellow,  went 
into  the  woods  after  a  load  of  wood,  and  we  found 

him  next  day  froze  to  death,  leaning  up  against  a 

8* 


58 

beech  tree  as  stiff  as  a  stak  3.  But  his  oxen  was  alive 
and  well.  It's  very  wonderful  how  much  longer  a 
brute  critter  will  stan'  the  cold  than  a  man  will. 
Them  oxen  didn't  even  shiver." 

"Perhaps,"  said  the  doctor,  standing  with  his 
back  towards  Mr.  Robinson,  "  perhaps  the  oxen  had 
taken  a  mug  of  hot  flip  before  they  went  into  the 
woods." 

By  this  time  Major  Grant  began  to  feel  a  little 
suspicious  that  he  might  lose  his  bet,  and  was  setting 
all  his  wits  to  work  to  fix  on  a  question  so  direct  and 
limited  in  its  nature,  that  it  could  not  fail  to  draw 
from  Mr.  Robinson  a  pretty  direct  answer.  He  had 
thought  at  first  of  making  some  simple  inquiry  about 
the  weather ;  but  he  now  felt  convinced  that,  with 
Mr.  Robinson,  the  weather  was  a  very  copious  subject. 
He  had  also  several  times  thought  of  asking  some 
question  in  relation  to  the  beverage  they  were  drink- 
ing ;  such  as,  whether  Mr.  Robinson  preferred  flip  to 
hot  sling.  And  at  first  he  could  hardly  perceive,  if 
the  question  were  put  direct,  how  it  could  fail  to 
bring  out  a  direct  yes  or  no.  But  the  discursive 
nature  of  Mr.  Robinson's  eloquence  on  flip  had  already 
induced  him  to  turn  his  thoughts  in  another  direction 
for  a  safe  and  suitable  question.  At  last  he  thought 


THE     TOUGH     YARN.  59 

he  would  make  his  inquiry  in  reference  to  Mr.  Robin- 
son's lameness.  He  would  have  asked  the  cause  of 
his  lameness,  but  the  thought  occurred  to  him  thai 
the  cause  might  not  be  clearly  known,  or  his  lame- 
ness might  have  been  produced  by  a  complication  of 
causes,  that  would  allow  too  much  latitude  for  a  reply. 
He  resolved,  therefore,  simply  to  ask  him  whether  his 
lameness  was  in  the  leg  or  in  the  foot.  That  was  a 
question  which  it  appeared  to  him  required  a  short 
answer.  For  if  it  were  in  the  leg,  Mr.  Robinson 
would  say  it  was  in  his  leg;  and  if  it  were  in  his 
foot,  he  would  at  once  reply,  in  his  foot ;  and  if  it 
were  in  both,  what  could  be  more  natural  than  that 
he  should  say,  in  both  ?  and  that  would  seem  to  be 
the  end  of  the  story. 

Having  at  length  fully  made  up  his  mind  as  to  the 
point  of  attack,  he  prepared  for  the  charge,  and 
taking  a  careless  look  at  his  watch,  he  gave  the 
doctor  a  sly  wink.  Doctor  Snow,  without  turning  or 
scarce  appearing  to  move,  drew  his  watch  from 
beneath  his  wrapper  so  far  as  to  see  the  hour,  and 
returned  it  again  to  his  pocket. 

"Mr.  Robinson,"  said  the  major,  "if  I  may  pre- 
sume to  make  the  inquiry,  is  your  lameness  in  the 
ieg  or  in  the  foof  ?" 


60 

"Well,  that  reminds  me,"  said  Mr.  Kobinson, 
taking  a  sip  from  the  tumbler,  which  he  still  held  in 
his  hand,  "  that  reminds  me  of  wha,t  my  old  father 
said  to  me  once  when  I  was  a  boy.  Says  he,  '  Jack, 
you  blockhead,  don't  you  never  tell  where  anything 
is,  unless  you  can  first  tell  how  it  come  there.'  The 
reason  of  his  saying  it  was  this  :  Father  and  I  was 
coming  in  the  steamboat  from  New  York  to  Provi- 
dence; and  they  was  all  strangers  on  board — we 
didn't  know  one  of  'em  from  Adam  ;  and  on  the 
way,  one  of  the  passengers  missed  his  pocket-book, 
and  begun  to  make  a  great  outcry  about  it.  He 
called  the  captain,  and  said  there  must  be  a  search. 
The  boat  must  be  searched,  and  all  the  passengers 
and  all  on  board  must  be  searched.  Well,  the  cap- 
tain he  agreed  to  it ;  and  at  it  they  went,  and  over- 
hauled everything  from  one  end  of  the  boat  to 
t'other ;  but  they  couldn't  find  hide  nor  hair  of  it. 
And  they  searched  all  the  passengers  and  all  the 
hands,  but  they  couldn't  get  no  track  on't.  And  the 
man  that  lost  the  pocket-book  took  on  and  made  a 
great  fuss.  He  said  it  wasn't  so  much  on  account  of 
the  money,  for  there  wasn't  a  great  deal  in  it ;  but 
the  papers  in  it  were  of  great  consequence  to  liim, 
and  he  offered  to  give  ten  dollars  to  any  body  that 


THE     TOUGH     YARN.  61 

would  find  it.  Pretty  soon  after  that,  I  was  fixin'  up 
father's  berth  a  little,  where  he  was  going  to  sleep, 
and  I  found  the  pocket-book  under  the  clothes  at  the 
head  of  the  berth,  where  the  thief  had  tucked  it 
away  while  the  search  was  going  on.  So  I  took  it, 
tickled  enough,  and  run  to  the  man,  and  told  him  I 
had  found  his  pocket-book.  He  catched  it  out  of  my 
hands,  and  says  he,  *  Where  did  you  find  it  ?'  Says 
I,  <  Under  the  clothes  in  the  head  of  my  father's 
berth.' 

"  '  In  your  father's  berth,  did  you  ?'  says  he,  and  ne 
give  me  a  look  and  spoke  so  sharp,  I  jumped  as  if  I 
was  going  out  of  my  skin. 

"  Says  he,  i  Show  me  the  place.' 

"  So  I  run  and  showed  him  the  place. 

"  <  Call  your  father  here,'  says  he.  So  I  run  and 
called  father. 

" '  Now  Mister,'  says  he  to  father,  *  I  should  like  to 
know  how  my  pocket-book  come  in  your  berth.' 

" { I  don't  know  nothin'  about  it,'  says  father. 

"  Then  he  turned  to  me  and  says  he,  '  Young  man, 
how  came  this  pocket-book  in  your  father's  berth  ?' 

"  Says  I,  c  I  can't  tell.  I  found  it  there,  and  that's 
all  I  know  about  it.' 

"  Then  he  call*  d  the  captain  and  asked  him  if  he 


'"WAY     DOWN      EAST. 

knew  us,  The  captain  said  he  didn't.  The  mac 
looked  at  us  mighty  sharp,  first  to  father,  and  then  to 
me,  and  eyed  us  from  top  to  toe.  "We  wasn't  neither 
of  us  dressed  very  slick,  and  we  could  tell  by  his  looks 
pretty  well  what  he  was  thinking.  At  last  he  said 
he  would  leave  it  to  the  passengers  whether,  under  all 
the  circumstances,  he  should  pay  the  boy  the  ten 
dollars  or  not.  I  looked  at  father,  and  his  face  was 
as  red  as  a  blaze,  and  I  see  his  dander  begun  to  rise. 
He  didn't  wait  for  any  of  the  passengers  to  give  their 
opinion  about  it,  but  says  he  to  the  man,  "  Dod-rot 
your  money !  if  you've  got  any  more  than  you  want, 
you  may  throw  it  into  the  sea  for  what  I  care  ;  but  if 
you  offer  any  of  it  to  my  boy,  I'll  send  you  where  a 
streak  of  lightning  wouldn't  reach  you  in  six 
months." 

"  That  seemed  to  settle  the  ousiness ;  the  man  didn't 
say  no  more  to  father,  and  most  of  the  passengers 
begun  to  look  as  if  they  didn't  believe  father  was 
guilty.  But  a  number  of  times  after  that,  on  the 
passage,  I  see  the  man  that  lost  the  pocket-book  whis- 
per to  some  of  the  passengers,  and  then  turn  and  looi 
at  father.  And  then  father  would  look  gritty  enough 
to  bite  a  board-nail  off.  When  we  got  ashore,  as  soon 
as  we  got  a  little  out  of  sight  of  folks,  father  catched 


THE     TOUGH     YARN.  63 

hold  of  my  arm  and  gave  it  a  most  awful  jerk,  and 
says  he,  "  Jack  you  blockhead,  don't  you  never  tell 
where  any  thing  is  again,  unless  you  can  first  tell  how 
it  come  there." 

"Now  it  would  be  about  as  difficult,"  continued 
Mr.  Robinson  after  a  slight  pause,  which  he  employed 
in  taking  a  sip  from  his  tumbler,  "  for  me  to  tell  to  a 
certainty  how  I  come  by  this  lameness,  as  it  was  to 
tell  how  the  pocket-book  come  in  father's  berth. 
There  was  a  hundred  folks  aboard,  and  we  knew  some 
of  'em  must  a  put  it  in ;  but  which  one  'twas,  it  wou^d 
have  puzzled  a  Philadelphia  lawyer  to  tell.  "Well, 
it's  pretty  much  so  with  my  lameness.  This  poor  leg 
of  mine  has  gone  through  some  most  awful  sieges, 
and  it's  a  wonder  there's  an  inch  of  it  left.  But  it's  a 
pretty  good  leg  yet ;  I  can  almost  bear  my  weight 
'ipon  it ;  and  with  the  help  of  a  crutch  you'd  be  sur- 
prised to  see  how  fast  I  can  get  over  the  ground." 

"  Then  your  lameness  is  in  the  leg  rather  than  in 
the  foot  ?"  said  Major  Grant,  taking  advantage  of  a 
short  pause  in  Mr.  Robinson's  speech. 

"  Well,  I  was  going  on  to  tell  you  all  the  particu- 
lars," said  Mr.  Robinson.  "  You've  no  idea  what 
terrible  narrow  chances  I've  gone  through  with  this 
leg." 


64  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

"  Then  the  difficulty  is  in  the  leg,  is  .t  not?"  said 
Major  Grant. 

~"  "Well,  after  I  tell  you  the  particulars,"  said  Mr. 
Robinson,  "  yoi  ".an  judge  for  yourself.  The  way  it 
first  got  hurt  was  going  in  a  swimming,  when  I  was 
about  twelve  years  old.  I  could  swim  like  a  duck, 
and  used  to  be  in  Uncle  John's  mill-pond  along  with 
his  Stephen  half  the  time.  Uncle  John,  he  always 
used  to  keep  scolding  at  us  and  telling  of  us  we  should 
get  sucked  into  the  fLoome  bime-by,  and  break  our 
plaguy  necks  under  the  water-wheel.  But  we  knew 
better.  We'd  tried  it  so  much  we  could  tell  jest  how 
near  we  could  go  to  the  gate  and  get  away  again  with- 
out being  drawn  through.  But  one  day  Steeve,  jest  to 
plague  me,  threw  my  straw  hat  into  the  pond  between 
me  and  the  gate.  I  was  swimming  about  two  rods  from 
the  gate,  and  the  hat  was  almost  as  near  as  we  dared 
to  go,  and  the  stream  was  sucking  it  down  pretty  fast ; 
so  I  sprung  with  all  my  might  to  catch  the  hat  before 
it  should  go  through  and  get  smashed  under  the  water- 
wheel.  "When  I  got  within  about  half  my  length  of 
it,  I  found  I  was  as  near  the  gate  as  we  ever  dared  to 
go  But  I  hated  to  lose  the  hat,  and  I  thought  I  might 
venture  to  go  a  little  nearer,  so  I  fetched  a  spring  with 
all  my  might,  and  grabbed  the  hat  and  put  it  on  my 


THE     TOUGH     YA.RN.  65 

head,  and  turned  back  and  pulled  for  my  life.  Al 
first  I  thought  I  gained  a  little,  and  I  made  my  hands 
and  feet  fly  as  tight  as  I  could  spring.  In  about  a 
minute  I  found  I  didn't  gain  a  bit  one  way  nor  t'other ; 
and  then  I  sprung  as  if  I  would  a  tore  my  arms  off ; 
and  it  seemed  as  if  I  could  feel  the  sweat  start  all  over 
me  right  there  in  the  water.  I  begun  to  feel  all  at 
once  as  if  death  had  me  by  the  heels,  and  I  screamed 
for  help.  Stephen  was  on  the  shore  watching  me,  but 
he  couldn't  get  near  enough  to  help  me.  When  he 
see  I  couldn't  gain  any,  and  heard  me  scream,  he  was 
about  as  scared  as  I  was,  and  turned  and  run  towards 
the  miJ,  and  screamed  for  uncle  as  loud  as  he  could 
bawl.  In  a  minute  uncle  come  running  to  the  mill- 
pond,  and  got  there  jest  time  enough  to  see  me  going 
through  the  gate  feet  foremost.  Uncle  said,  if  he 
should  live  to  be  as  old  as  Methuselah,  he  should  never 
forget  what  a  beseeching  look  my  eyes  had  as  I  lifted 
up  my  hands  towards  him  and  then  sunk  guggling 
into  the  floome.  He  knew  I  should  be  smashed  all  to 
pieces  under  the  great  water-wheel :  but  he  run  round 
as  fast  as  he  could  to  the  tail  of  the  mill  to  be  ready 
to  pick  up  my  mangled  body  when  it  got  through,  so 
I  might  be  carried  home  and  buried.  Presently  he 
see  me  drifting  along  in  the  white  foam  that  came  ont 


66  WAY     DOWW     EAST. 

from  under  the  mill,  and  he  got  a  pole  with  a  hook  to 
it  and  olrawed  me  to  the  shore.  He  found  I  was  not 
jammed  all  to  pieces  as  he  expected,  though  he 
couldn't  see  any  signs  of  life.  But  having  consider- 
able doctor  skill,  he  went  to  wo  -k  upon  me,  and  rolled 
me  over,  and  rubbed  me,  and  worked  upon  me,  till 
bime-by  I  began  to  groan  and  breathe.  And  at  last 
I  come  to-,  so  I  could  speak.  They  carried  me  home 
and  sent  for  a  doctor  to  examine  me.  My  left  foot  and 
leg  was  terribly  bruised,  and  one  of  the  bones  broke, 
and  that  was  all  the  hurt  there  was  on  me.  I  must 
have  gone  lengthways  right  in  between  two  buckets 
of  the  water-wheel,  and  that  saved  my  life.  But  this 
poor  leg  and  foot  got  such  a  bruising  I  wasn't  able  to 
go  a  step  on  it  for  three  months,  and  never  got  entirely 
over  it  to  this  day." 

"  Then  your  lameness  is  in  the  leg  and  foot  both,  is 
it  not  ?"  said  Major  Grant,  hoping  at  this  favorable 
point  to  get  an  answer  to  this  question. 

"  Oh,  it  wasn't  that  bruising  under  the  mill-wheel," 
paid  Mr.  Jack  Kobinson,  "  that  caused  this  lameness, 
though  I've  no  doubt  it  caused  a  part  of  it  and  helps 
to  make  it  worse ;  but  it  wasn't  the  principal  cause. 
I've  had  tougher  scrapes  than  that  in  my  day,  and  I 
was  going  on  to  tell  yon  what  I  s'pose  hurt  my  leg 


THE     TOUGH     YARN.  67 

more  than  anything  else  ever  happened  to  it.  When 
I  was  about  eighteen  years  old  I  was  the  greatest 
hunter  there  was  within  twenty  miles  round.  I  had 
a  first-rate  little  fowling-piece ;  she  would  carry  as 
true  as  a  hair.  I  could  hit  a  squirrel  fifty  yards 
twenty  times  running.  And  at  all  the  thanksgiving 
shooting-matches  I  used  to  pop  off  the  geese  and 
turkeys  so  fast,  it  spoilt  all  their  fun ;  and  they  got  so 
at  last  they  wouldn't  let  me  fire  till  all  the  rest  had 
fired  round  three  times  a  piece.  And  when  all  of 
'em  had  fired  at  a  turkey  three  times  and  couldn't 
hit  it,  they  would  say,  f  well,  that  turkey  belongs  to 
Jack  Robinson.'  So  I  would  up  and  fire  and  pop  it 
over.  Well,  I  used  to  be  almost  everlastingly  a 
gunning;  and  father  would  fret  and  scold,  because 
whenever  there  was  any  work  to  do,  Jack  was  always 
off  in  the  woods.  One  day  I  started  to  go  over  Bear 
Mountain,  about  two  miles  from  home,  to  see  if  I 
couldn't  kill  some  raccoons ;  and  I  took  my  brother 
JSTed,  who  was  three  years  younger  than  myself,  with 
me  to  help  bring  home  the  game.  "We  took  some 
bread  and  cheese  and  doughnuts-  in  our  pockets,  for 
we  calculated  to  be  gone  all  day,  and  I  shouldered 
my  little  fowling-piece,  and  took  a  plenty  of  powdei 
•  d  shot  and  small  bullets,  and  off  we  started  through 


68 

the  woods.  When  we  got  round  the  other  side  ot 
Bear  Mountain,  TV  here  I  had  always  had  the  best  luck 
in  hunting,  it  was  about  noon.  On  the  way  I  had 
killed  a  couple  of  grey  squirrels,  a  large  fat  raccoon, 
and  a  hedge-hog.  We  sot  down  under  a  large  beech 
tree  to  eat  our  bread  and  cheese.  As  we  sot  eating, 
we  looked  up  into  the  tree,  and  it  was  very  full  of 
beechnuts.  They  were  about  ripe,  but  there  had  not 
been  frost  enough  to  make  them  drop  much  from  the 
tree.  So  says  I  to  Ned,  Let  us  take  some  sticks  and 
climb  this  tree  and  beat  off  some  nuts  to  carry  home. 
So  we  got  some  sticks,  and  up  we  went.  We  hadn't 
but  jest  got  cleverly  up  into  the  body  of  the  tree, 
before  we  heard  something  crackling  among  the 
bushes  a  few  rods  off.  We  looked  and  listened,  and 
heard  it  again,  louder  and  nearer.  In  a  minute  we 
see  the  bushes  moving,  not  three  rods  off  from  the 
tree,  and  something  black  stirring  about  among  them. 
Then  out  come  an  awful  great  black  bear,  the  ugliest- 
looking  feller  that  ever  I  laid  my  eyes  on.  He  looked 
up  towards  the  tree  we  was  on,  and  turned  up  his  nose 
as  though  he  was  snuffing  something.  I  begun  to 
feel  pretty  streaked;  I  knew  bears  was  terrible 
climbers,  and  I'd  a  gin  all  the  world  if  I'd  only  had 
mv  gun  in  my  hand,  well  loaded.  But  there  was  no 


THE     TOUGH     YARN.  69 

time  to  go  down  after  it  now,  and  I  thought  the  only- 
way  was  to  keep  as  still  as  possible,  and  perhaps  he 
might  go  off  again  about  his  business.  So  we  didn't 
stir  nor  hardly  breathe.  Whether  the  old  feller  smelt 
us,  or  whether  he  was  looking  for  beechnuts,  I  don't 
know ;  but  he  reared  right  up  on  his  hind  legs  and 
walked  as  straight  to  the  tree  as  a  man  could  walk. 
He  walked  round  the  tree  twice,  and  turned  his  great 
black  nose  up,  and  looked  more  like  Old  Nick  than 
anything  I  ever  see  before.  Then  he  stuck  his  sharp 
nails  into  the  sides  of  the  tree,  and  begun  to  hitch 
himself  up.  I  felt  as  if  we  had  got  into  a  bad  scrape, 
and  wished  we  was  out  of  it.  Ned  begun  to  cry. 
But,  says  I  to  Ned,  <  It's  no  use  to  take  on  about  it ; 
if  he's  coming  up  we  must  fight  him  off  the  best  way 
we  can.'  We  climb'd  up  higher  into  the  tree,  and 
the  old  bear  come  hitching  along  up  after  us.  I 
made  Ned  go  up  above  me,  and,  as  I  had  a  pretty 
good  club  in  my  hand,  I  thought  I  might  be  able  to 
keep  the  old  feller  down.  He  didn't  seem  to  stop  for 
the  beechnuts,  but  kept  climbing  right  up  towards 
us.  When  he  got  up  pretty  near  I  poked  my  club  at 
him,  and  he  showed  his  teeth  and  growled.  Says  I, 
*  Ned,  scrabble  up  a  little  higher.'  We  clim  up  two 
or  three  limbs  higher,  and  the  old  bear  followed  close 


70 


after.  When  he  got  up  so  lie  could  almost  touch  my 
feet,  I  thought  it  was  time  to  begin  to  fight.  So  1  up 
with  my  club  and  tried  to  fetch  him  a  pelt  over  the 
nose.  And  the  very  first  blow  he  knocked  the  club 
right  out  of  my  hand,  with  his  great  nigger  paw,  as 
easy  as  I  could  knock  it  out  of  the  hand  of  a  baby  a 
year  old.  I  begun  to  think  then  it  was  gone  goose 
with  us.  However,  I  took  Ned's  club,  and  thought 
I'd  try  once  more ;  but  he  knocked  it  out  of  my  hand 
like  a  feather,  and  made  another  hitch  and  grabbed 
at  my  feet.  "We  scrabbled  up  the  tree,  and  he  after 
us,  till  we  got  almost  to  the  top  of  the  tree.  At  last 
I  had  to  stop  a  little  for  Ned,  and  the  old  bear 
clinched  my  feet.  First  he  stuck  his  claw  into  'em, 
and  then  he  stuck  his  teeth  into  'em,  and  begun  to 
naw.  I  felt  as  if  'twas  a  gone  case,  but  I  kicked  and 
fit,  and  told  Ned  to  get  up  higher ;  and  he  did  get  up 
a  little  higher,  and  I  got  up  a  little  higher  too,  and 
the  old  bear  made  another  hitch  and  come  up  higher, 
and  begun  to  naw  my  heels  again.  And  then  the  top 
of  the  tree  begun  to  bend,  for  we  had  got  up  so  high 
we  was  all  on  a  single  limb  as  'twere  ;  and  it  bent  a 
little  more,  and  cracked  and  broke,  and  down  we 
went,  bear  and  all,  about  thirty  feet,  to  the  ground. 
At  first  I  didn't  know  whether  I  was  dead  or  alive.  I 


THE     TOUGH     YARN.  71 

guess  we  all  lay  still  as  much  as  a  minute  before  we 
could  make  out  to  breathe.  When  I  come  to  my  feel- 
mg  a  little,  I  found  the  bear  had  fell  on  my  lame  leg, 
and  give  it  another  most  awful  crushing.  Ned  wasn't 
hurt  much.  He  fell  on  top  of  the  bear,  and  the  bear 
fell  partly  on  me.  Ned  sprung  off  and  got  out  of  the 
way  of  the  bear;  and  in  about  a  minute  more  the 
bear  crawled  up  slowly  on  to  his  feet,  and  began  to 
walk  off,  without  taking  any  notice  of  us,  and  I  was 
glad  enough  to  see  that  he  went  rather  lame.  When 
I  come  to  try  my  legs  I  found  one  of  'em  was  terribly  * 
smashed,  and  I  couldn't  walk  a  step  on  it.  So  I  told 
Ned  to  hand  me  my  gun,  and  to  go  home  as  fast  as 
he  could  go,  and  get  the  horse  and  father,  and  come 
and  carry  me  home. 

"  Ned  went  off  upon  the  quick  trot,  as  if  he  was  aftei 
the  doctor.  But  the  blundering  critter — Ned  always 
was  a  great  blunderer — lost  his  way  and  wandered 
about  in  the  woods  all  night,  and  didn't  get  home  till 
sunrise  next  morning.  The  way  I  spent  the  night 
wasn't  very  comfortable,  I  can  tell  ye.  Jest  before 
dark  it  begun  to  rain,  and  I  looked  round  to  try  to 
find  some  kind  of  a  shelter.  At  last  I  see  a  great  tree, 
lying  on  the  ground  a  little  ways  off,  that  seemed  to 
be  holler.  I  crawled  along  to  it,  and  found  there 


72 

was  a  holler  in  one  end  large  enough  for  me  to  creep 
into.  So  in  I  went,  and  in  order  to  get  entirely  out 
of  the  way  of  the  spattering  of  the  rain,  and  keep 
myself  dry,  I  crept  in  as  much  as  ten  feet.  I  laid 
there  and  rested  myself  as  well  as  I  could,  though  my 
leg  pained  me  too  much  to  sleep.  Some  time  in  the 
night,  all  at  once,  I  heerd  a  sort  of  rustling  noise  at 
the  end  of  the  log  where  I  come  in.  My  hair  stood 
right  on  eend.  It  was  dark  as  Egypt ;  I  couldn't  see 
the  least  thing,  but  I  could  hear  the  rustling  noise 
again,  and  it  sounded  as  if  it  was  coming  into  the  log. 
I  held  my  breath,  but  I  could  hear  something  breath- 
ing heavily,  and  there  seemed  to  be  a  sort  of  scratch- 
ing against  the  sides  of  the  log,  and  it  kept  working 
along  in  towards  me.  I  clinched  my  fowling-piece 
and  held  on  to  it.  'Twas  well  loaded  with  a  brace  of 
balls  and  some  shot  besides.  But  whether  to  fire,  or 
what  to  do,  I  couldn't  tell.  I  was  sure  there  was  some 
terrible  critter  in  the  log,  and  the  rustling  noise  kept 
coming  nearer  and  nearer  to  me.  At  last  I  heerd  a 
low  kind  of  a  growl.  I  thought  if  I  was  inly  dead 
and  decently  buried  somewhere  I  should  be  glad  ;  for 
to  be  eat  up  alive  there  by  bears,  or  wolves,  or.  cata- 
mounts, I  couldn't  bear  the  idea  of  it.  In  a  minute 
more  something  made  a  horrible  grab  at  my  feet,  and 


THE     TOUGH      YAKN.  73 

begun  to  naw  'em.  At  first  I  crawled  a  little  further 
into  the  tree.  But  the  critter  was  hold  of  my  feet 
again  in  a  minute,  and  I  found  it  was  no  use  for  me 
to  go  in  any  farther.  I  didn't  hardly  dare  to  fire ;  for 
I  thought  if  I  didn't  kill  the  critter,  it  would  only  be 
likely  to  make  him  fight  the  harder.  And  then  again 
I  thought  if  I  should  kill  him,  and  he  should  be  as 
targe  as  I  fancied  him  to  be,  I  should  never  be  able 
to  shove  him  out  of  the  log,  nor  to  get  out  by  him. 

|p 

While  I  was  having  these  thoughts  the  old  feller  was 
nawing  and  tearing  my  feet  so  bad,  I  found  he  would 
soon  kill  me  if  I  laid  still.  So  I  took  my  gun  and 
pointed  down  by  my  feet,  as  near  the  centre  of  the 
holler  log  as  I  could,  and  let  drive.  The  report 
almost  stunned  me.  But  when  I  come  to  my  hearing 
again,  I  laid  still  and  listened.  Everything  round 
me  was  still  as  death ;  I  couldn't  hear  the  least  sound. 
I  crawled  back  a  few  inches  towards  the  mouth  of  the 
log,  and  was  stopt  by  something  against  my  feet.  I 
pushed  it.  'Twould  give  a  little,  but  I  couldn't  move 
it.  I  got  my  hand  down  far  enough,  to  reach, 
and  felt  the  fur  and  hair  and  ears  of  some  terrible 
animal. 

"  That  was  an  awful  long  night.     And  when  the 
morning  did  come,  the  critter  filled  the  holler  up  so 


much,  there  was  but  ¥ery  little  light  come  in  where 
I  was.  I  tried  again  to  shove  the  animal  towards  the 
mouth  of  the  log,  but  I  found  'twas  no  use, — I  couldn't 
move  him.  At  last  the  light  come  in  so  much  that  I 
felt  pretty  sure  it  was  a  monstrous  great  bear  that  I 
had  killed.  But  I  begun  to  feel  now  as  if  I  was  buried 
alive  ;  for  I  was  afraid  our  folks  wouldn't  find  me, 
and  I  was  sure  I  never  could  get  out  myself.  But 
about  two  hours  after  sunrise,  all  at  once  I  thought  I 
heered  somebody  holler  "Jack."  I  listened  and  I 
heered  it  again,  and  I  knew  'twas  father's  voice.  I 
answered  as  loud  as  I  could  holler.  They  kept  holler- 
ing, and  I  kept  hollering.  Sometimes  they  would  go 
further  off  and  sometimes  come  nearer.  My  voice 
sounded  so  queer  they  couldn't  tell  where  it  come  from, 
nor  what  to  make  of  it.  At  last,  by  going  round  con- 
siderable, they  found  my  voice  seemed  to  be  some  where 
round  the  holler  tree,  and  bime-by  father  come  along 
and  put  his  head  into  the  holler  of  the  tree,  and  called 
out,  '  Jack,  are  you  here  ?'  c  Yes  I  be,'  says  I,  c  and  I 
wish  you  would  pull  this  bear  out,  so  I  can  get  out 
myself.'  "When  they  got  us  out,  I  was  about  as  much 
dead  as  alive  ;  but  they  got  me  on  to  the  horse,  and 
led  me  home  and  nursed  me  up,  and  had  a  doctor  to 
set  my  leg  again ;  and  it's  a  pretty  good  leg  yet." 


THE     TOUGH     YA.KN.  75 

* 

Here,  while  Mr.  Robinson  was  taking  another  sip 
from  his  tumbler,  Major  Grant  glanced  at  his  watch, 
and,  looking  up  to  Doctor  Snow,  said,  with  a  grave, 
quiet  air,  "  Doctor,  I  give  it  up ;  the  bet  is  yours." 


WAT     DOWN     EAST. 


CHAPTEE  IT. 

CHRISTOPHER   CROTCHET. 

YOUR  New  England  country  singing-master  is  a 
peculiar  character;  who  shall  venture  to  describe 
him  ?  During  his  stay  in  a  country  village,  he  is  the 
most  important  personage  in  it.  The  common  school- 
master, to  be  sure,  is  a  man  of  dignity  and  import- 
ance. Children  never  pass  him  on  the  road  without 
turning  square  round,  pulling  off  their  hats,  and 
making  one  of  their  best  and  most  profound  bows. 
He  is  looked  up  to  with  universal  deference  both  by 
young  and  old,  and  is  often  invited  out  to  tea.  Or, 
if  he  "  boards  round,"  great  is  the  parade,  and  great 
the  preparation,  by  each  family,  when  their  "  week 
for  boarding  the  master"  draws  near.  Then  not 
unfrequently  a  well  fatted  porker  is  killed,  and  the 
spare-ribs  are  duly  hung  round  the  pantry  in  readi- 
ness for  roasting.  A  half  bushel  of  sausages  are 
made  up  into  "  links,"  and  suspended  on  a  pole  near 
the  ceiling  from  one  end  of  the  kitchen  to  the  other 


CHRISTOPHER     CROTCHET.  77 

And  the  Saturday  beforehand,  if  the  school-master  is 
to  come  on  Monday,  the  work  of  preparation  reaches 
its  crisis.  Then  it  is,  that  the  old  oven,  if  it  be  not 
"  heaten  seven  times  hotter  than  it  is  wont  to  be,"  is 
at  least  heated  seven  times;  and  apple-pies,  and 
pnmpkin-pies,  and  mince-pies  are  turned  out  by 
dozens,  and  packed  away  in  closet  and  cellar  for 
the  coming  week.  And  the  "  fore  room,"  which  has 
not  had  a  fire  in  it  for  the  winter,  is  now  duly  washed 
and  scrubbed  and  put  to  rights,  and  wood  is  heaped 
on  the  fire  with  a  liberal  hand,  till  the  room  itself 
becomes  almost  another  oven.  George  is  up  betimes 
on  Monday  morning  to  go  with  his  hand-sled  and 
bring  the  master's  trunk ;  Betsey  and  Sally  are  rigged 
out  in  their  best  calico  gowns,  the  little  ones  have  their 
faces  washed  and  their  hair  combed  with  more  than 
ordinary  care,  and  the  mother's  cap  has  an  extra 
crimp.  And  all  this  stir  and  preparation  for  the 
common  school-master.  And  yet  he  is  but  an  every- 
day planet,  that  moves  in  a  regular  orbit,  and  comes 
round  at  least  every  winter. 

But  the  singing-master  is  your  true  comet. 
Appearing  at  no  regular  intervals,  he  comes  sud- 
denly, and  often  unexpected.  Brilliant,  mysterious 
and  erratic,  no  wonder  that  he  attracts  all  eyes,  and 


T8 

produces  a  tremendous  sensation.  Not  only  the  chil- 
dren, but  the  whole  family,  flock  to  the  windows 
when  he  passes,  and  a  face  may  be  seen  at  every  pane 
of  glass,  eagerly  peering  out  to  catch  a  glimpse  of 
the  singing-master.  Even  the  very  dogs  seem  to 
partake  of  the  awe  he  inspires,  and  bark  with 
uncommon  fierceness  whenever  they  meet  him. 

"  O,  father,"  said  little  Jimmy  Brown,  as  he  came 
running  into  the  house  on  a  cold  December  night, 
with  eyes  staring  wide  open,  and  panting  for  breath. 
"  O,  father,  Mr.  Christopher  Crotchet  from  Quaver- 
town,  is  over  to  Mr.  Gibbs'  tavern,  come  to  see  about 
keeping  singing-school ;  and  Mr.  Gibbs,  and  a  whole 
parcel  more  of  'em,  wants  you  to  come  right  over 
there,  cause  they're  goin'  to  have  a  meeting  this 
evening  to  see  about  hiring  of  him." 

Squire  Brown  and  his  family,  all  except  Jimmy, 
were  seated  round  the  supper  table  when  this  inter- 
esting piece  of  intelligence  was  announced.  Every 
one  save  Squire  Brown  himself,  gave  a  sudden  start, 
and  at  once  suspended  operations ;  but  the  Squire, 
who  was  a  very  moderate  man,  and  never  did  any- 
thing from  impulse,  ate  on  without  turning  his  head, 
or  changing  his  position.  After  a  short  pause,  how- 
ever, which  was  a  moment  of  intense  anxiety  to  some 


CHRISTOPHER     CROTCHET.  79 

members  of  the  family,  he  replied  to  Jimmy  as 
follows : — 

"  I  shan't  do  no  sich  thing ;  if  they  want  a  singing  < 
-school,  they  may  get  it  themselves.  A  singing-school 
won't  do  us  no  good,  and  I've  ways  enough  to  spend 
my  money  without  paying  it  for  singing."  Turning 
his  head  round  and  casting  a  severe  look  upon 
Jimmy,  he  proceeded  with  increasing  energy : 

"Now,  sir,  hang  your  hat  up  and  set  down  and 
eat  your  supper ;  I  should  like  to  know  what  sent 
you  off  over  to  the  tavern  without  leave." 

"  I  wanted  to  see  the  singing-master,"  said  Jimmy. 
"  Sam  Gibbs  said  there  was  a  singing-master  over  to 
their  house,  and  so  I  wanted  to  see  him." 

"  Well,  I'll  singing-master  you,"  said  the  Squire, 
"if  I  catch  you  to  go  off  so  again  without  leave. 
Come,  don't  stand  there ;  set  down  and  eat  your 
supper,  or  I'll  trounce  you  in  two  minutes." 

"  There,  I  declare,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  "  I  do  think 
it  too  bad.  I  do  wish  I  could  live  in  peace  one 
moment  of  my  life.  The  children  will  be  spoilt  and 
ruined.  They  never  can  stir  a  step  nor  hardly 
breathe,  but  what  they  must  be  scolded  and  fretted 
to  death." 

Squire    Brown   had   been   accustomed    to   these 


80 

sudden  squalls  about  twenty-five  years,  they  Laving 
commenced  some  six  months  or  so  after  his  marriage ; 
and  long  experience  had  taught  him,  that  the  only 
way  to  escape  with  safety,  was  to  bear  away  immedi- 
ately and  scud  before  the  wind.  Accordingly  he 
turned  again  to  Jimmy,  and  with  a  much  softened 
tone  addressed  him  as  follows : — • 

"  Come,  Jimmy,  my  son,  set  down  and  eat  your 
supper,  that's  a  good  boy.  You  shouldn't  go  away 
without  asking  your  mother  or  me ;  but  you'll  try  to 
remember  next  time,  won't  you  ?" 

Jimmy  and  his  mother  were  both  somewhat 
soothed  by  this  well-timed  suavity,  and  the  boy  took 
his  seat  at  the  table. 

"  Now,  pa,"  said  Miss  Jerusha  Brown,  "  you  will 
go  over  and  see  about  having  a  singing-school,  won't 
you  ?  I  want  to  go  dreadfully  ?" 

"Oh,  I  can't  do  anything  about  that,"  said  the 
Squire ;  "  it'll  cost  a  good  deal  of  money,  and  I  can't 
afford  it.  And  besides,  there's  no  use  at  all  in  it. 
You  can  sing  enough  now,  any  of  you ;  you  are  sing- 
ing half  your  time." 

"  There/'  said  Mrs.  Brown,  "  that's  just  the  way 
Our  children  will  never  have  a  chance  to  be  anything 
as  long  as  they  live.  Other  folks'  children  have  a 


CHRISTOPHER     CROTCHET.  81 

chance  to  go  to  singing-schools,  and  to  see  young 
company,  and  to  be  something  in  the  world.  Here's 
our  Jerusha  has  got  to  be  in  her  twenty-fifth  year 
now,  and  if  she's  e  ^er  going  to  have  young  company, 
and  have  a  chance  to  be  anything,  she  must  have  it 
soon ;  for  she'll  be  past  the  time  bime-by  for  sich 
things.  'Tisn't  as  if  we  was  poor  and  couldn't  afford 
it ;  for  you  know,  Mr.  Brown,  you  pay  the  largest  tax 
of  anybody  in  the  town,  and  can  afford  to  give  the 
children  a  chance  to  be  something  in  the  world,  as 
well  as  not.  And  as  for  living  in  this  kind  of  way 
any  longer,  I've  no  notion  on't." 

Mrs.  Brown  knew  how  to  follow  up  an  advantage. 
She  had  got  her  husband  upon  the  retreat  in  the  onset 
a  moment  before,  in  reference  to  Jimmy's  absence, 
and  the  closing  part  of  this  last  speech  was  uttered 
with  an  energy  and  determination,  of  which  Squire 
Brown  knew  -too  well  the  import  to  disregard  it. 
Perceiving  that  a  storm  was  brewing  that  would 
burst  upon  his  head  with  tremendous  power,  if  he 
did  not  take  care  to  avoid  it,  he  finished  his  supper 
with  all  convenient  despatch,  rose  from  the  table,  put 
on  his  grea  coat  and  hat,  and  marched  deliberately 
over  to  Gibls'  tavern.  Mrs.  Brown  knew  at  once 
that  she  had  won  the  victory,  and  that  they  should 

4* 


82 

have  a  singing-school  The  children  also  had  become 
so  well  versed  in  the  science  of  their  mother's  tactics, 
that  they  understood  the  same  thing,  and  immediately 
began  to  discuss  matters  preparatory  to  attending  the 
school. 

Miss  Jerusha  said  she  must  have  her  new  calico 
gown  made  right  up  the  next  day ;  and  her  mother 
said  she  should,  and  David  might  go  right  over  after 
Betsey  Davis  to  come  to  work  on  it  the  next 
morning. 

"  How  delightful  it  will  be  to  have  a  singing 
school,"  said  Miss  Jerusha :  "  Jimmy,  what  sort  of  a 
looking  man  is  Mr.  Crotchet  ?" 

"  Oh,  he  is  a  slick  kind  of  a  looking  man,"  said 
Jimmy. 

"  Is  he  a  young  man,  or  a  married  man  ?"  inquired 
Miss  Jerusha. 

"  Ho  !  married  ?  no  ;  I  guess  he  isn't,"  said  Jimmy, 
"  I  don't  believe  he's  more  than  twenty  years  old." 

"Poh;  I  don't  believe  that  story,"  said  Jerusha, 
a  singing-master  must  be  as  much  as  twenty-five 
years  old,  1  know !  How  is  he  dressed  ?  Isn't  he 
dressed  quite  genteel  ?" 

"  Oh,  he's  dressed  pretty  slick,"  said  Jimmy. 

"  "Well,  that's  what  makes  him  look  so  young,"  said 


CHRISTOPHER     CROTCHET.  83 

Miss  Jerusha  ;  "  I  dare  say  he's  as  much  as  twenty- 
five  years  old  ;  don't  you  think  he  is,  mother?" 

"  Well,  I  think  it's  pretty  likely  he  is,"  said  Mrs. 
Brown ;  "  singing-masters  are  generally  about  that  age." 

"  How  does  he  look  ?"  said  Miss  Jerusha ;  "  is  he 
handsome  ?" 

"  He's  handsome  enough,"  said  Jimmy,  "  only  he's 
got  a  red  head  and  freckly  face." 

"  Now,  Jim,  I  don't  believe  a  word  you  say.  You 
are  saying  this,  only  just  to  plague  me." 

To  understand  the  propriety  of  this  last  remark  of 
Miss  Jerusha,  the  reader  should  be  informed,  that  for 
the  last  ten  years  she  had  looked  upon  every  young 
man  who  came  into  the  place,  as  her  own  peculiar 
property.  And  in  all  cases,  in  order  to  obtain  pos- 
session of  her  aforesaid  property,  she  had  adopted 
prompt  measures,  and  pursued  them  with  a  diligence 
worthy  of  all  praise. 

"  No  I  ain't  neither,"  said  Jimmy,  "  I  say  he  has 
got  a  red  head  and  freckly  face." 

"  La,  well,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  "  what  if  he  has  ? 
I'm  sure  a  red  head  don't  look  bad ;  and  one  of  the 
handsomest  men  that  ever  I  see,  had  a  freckly  face." 

"  Well,  Jimmy,  how  large  is  he  ?    Is  he  a  tall 
01  a  short  man  ?"  said  Miss  Jerusha. 


84 

"Why,  he  isn't  bigger  round  than  I  be,"  said 
Jimmy ;  "  and  I  guess  he  isn't  quite  as  tall  as  a  hay- 
pole  ;  but  he's  so  tall  he  has  to  stoop  when  he  goes 
into  the  door." 

So  far  from  adding  to  the  shock,  -which  Miss  Jeru- 
sha's  nerves  had  already  received  from  the  account  of 
the  red  head  and  freckly  face,  this  last  piece  of  intel- 
ligence was  on  the  whole  rather  consolatory ;  for  she 
lacked  but  an  inch  and  a  half  of  six  feet  in  height 
herself. 

"Well,  Jimmy,"  said  Miss  Jerusha,  "when  he 
stands  up,  take  him  altogether,  isn't  he  a  good-looking 
young  man  ?" 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  that,"  said  Jimmy  ; 
"  he  looks  the  most  like  the  tongs  in  the  riddle,  of 
anything  I  can  think  of: 

'  Long  legs  and  crooked  thighs, 

Little  head  and  no  eyes.' " 

• 

"  There,  Jim,  you  little  plague,"  said  Miss  Jerusha, 
"  you  shall  go  right  off  to  bed  if  you  don't  leave  off 
your  nonsense.  I  won't  hear  another  word  of  it." 

"  I  don't  care  if  you  won't,"  said  Jimmy,  "  it's  aL 
true,  every  word  of  it." 

"  What !  then  the  singing-master  hasn't  got  no  eyes, 
has  he  ?"  said  Miss  Jerusha ;  "  that's  a  pretty  story." 


CHRISTOPHER     CROTCHET.  85 

.\ 

"  I  don't  mean  he  hasn't  got  no  eyes  at  all,"  said 
Jimmy,  "  only  his  eyes  are  dreadful  little,  and  you 
can't  see  but  one  of  'em  to  time  neither,  they're 
twisted  round  so." 

"A  little  cross-eyed,  I  s'pose,"  said  Mrs.  Brown, 
"  that's  all ;  I  don't  think  that  hurts  the  looks  of  a 
man  a  bit ;  it  only  makes  him  look  a  little  sharper." 

While  those  things  were  transpiring  at  Mr.  Brown's, 
matters  of  weight  and  importance  were  being 
discussed  at  the  tavern.  About  a  dozen  of  the 
neighbors  had  collected  there  early  in  the  evening, 
and  every  one,  as  soon  as  he  found  that  Mr.  Christo- 
pher Crotchet  from  Quavertown  was  in  the  village, 
was  for  having  a  singing-school  forthwith,  cost  what 
it  would.  They  accordingly  proceeded  at  once  to 
ascertain  Mr.  Crotchet's  terms.  His  proposals  were, 
to  keep  twenty  evenings  for  twenty  dollars  and 
"  found,"  or  for  thirty  and  board  himself.  The  school 
to  be  kept  three  evenings  in  the  week.  A  subscrip- 
tion-paper was  opened,  and  the  sum  of  fifteen  dollars 
was  at  last  made  up.  But  that  was  the  extent  to 
which  they  could  go;  not  another  dollar  could  be 
raised.  Much  anxiety  was  now  felt  for  the  arrival  of 
Squire  Brown;  for  the  question  of  school  or  no 
school  depended  entirely  on  him. 


86 

"Squire  Brown's  got  money  enough,"  said  Mr, 
Gibbs,  "  and  if  he  only  has  the  will,  we  shall  have  a 
school." 

"  Not  exactly,"  said  Mr.  Jones ;  "  if  Mrs.  Brown 
has  the  will,  we  shall  have  a  school,  let  the  Squire's 
will  be  what  it  may." 

Before  the  laugh  occasioned  by  this  last  remark 
had  fully  subsided,  Squire  Brown  entered,  much  to 
the  joy  of  the  whole  company. 

"Squire  Brown,  I'm  glad  to  see  you,"  said  Mr. 
Gibbs;  "shall  I  introduce  you  to  Mr.  Christopher 
Crotchet,  singing-master  from  Quavertown  ?" 

The  Squire  was  a  very  short  man,  somewhat 
inclined  to  corpulence,  and  Mr.  Crotchet,  according 
to  Jimmy's  account,  was  not  quite  as  tall  as  a  hay- 
pole ;  so  that  by  dint  of  the  Squire's  throwing  his 
head  back  and  looking  up,  and  Mr.  Crotchet's  cant- 
ing his  head  on  one  side  in  order  to  bring  one  eye  to 
bear  on  the  Squire,  the  parties  were  brought  within 
each  other's  field  of  vision.  The  Squire  made  a  bow, 
which  was  done  by  throwing  his  head  upward, 
and  Mr.  Crotchet  returned  the  compliment  by 
extending  his  arm  downward  to  the  Squire  and  shak- 
ing hands. 

When  the  ceremony  of  introduction  was  over,  Mr. 


CHKISTOPH  E_R     CROTCHET.  87 

Gibbs  laid  the  whole  matter  before  Mr.  Brown, 
showed  him  the  subscription-paper,  and  told  him 
they  were  all  depending  upon  him  to  decide  whether 
they  should  have  a  singing-school  or  not.  Squire 
Brown  put  on  his  spectacles  and  read  the  subscrip- 
tion-paper over  two  or  three  times,  till  he  fully  under- 
stood the  terms,  and  the  deficiency  in  the  amount 
subscribed.  Then  without  saying  a  word  he  took  a 
pen  and  deliberately  subscribed  five  dollars.  That 
settled  the  business ;  the  desired  sum  was  raised,  and 
the  school  was  to  go  ahead.  It  was  agreed  that 
it  should  commence  on  the  following  evening,  and 
that  Mr.  Crotchet  should  board  with  Mr.  Gibbs  one 
week,  with  the  Squire  the  next,  and  so  go  round 
through  the  neighborhood. 

On  the  following  day  there  was  no  small  commotion 
among  the  young  folks  of  the  village,  in  making  pre- 
paration for  the  evening  school.  New  singing-booke 
were  purchased,  dresses  were  prepared,  curling-tongs 
and  crimping-irons  were  put  in  requisition,  and  early 
in  the  evening  the  long  chamber  in  Gibbs'  tavern, 
which  was  called  by  way  of  eminence  "  the  hall," 
was  well  filled  by  youth  of  both  sexes,  the  old  folks 
not  being  allowed  to  attend  that  evening,  lest  the 
'  boys  ana  gals  "  should  be  diffident  about  "sound 


88 

ing  the  notes."  A  range  of  long  narrow  tables  was 
placed  round  three  sides  of  the  hall,  with  benches 
behind  them,  upon  which  the  youth  were  seated.  A 
singing-book  and  a  candle  were  shared  by  two,  all 
round  the  room,  till  you  came  to  Miss  Jerusha  Brown, 
who  had  taken  the  uppermost  seat,  and  monopolized 
a  whole  book  and  a  whole  candle  to  her  own  use. 
Betsey  Buck,  a  lively,  reckless  sort  of  a  girl  of  sixteen, 
who  cared  for  nobody  nor  nothing  in  this  world,  but 
was  full  of  frolic  and  fun,  had  by  chance  taken  a  seat 
next  to  Miss  Jerusha.  Miss  Betsey  had  a  slight  in- 
ward turn  of  one  eye,  just  enough  to  give  her  a 
roguish  look,  that  comported  well  with  her  character. 

"While  they  were  waiting  for  the  entrance  of  the 
master,  many  a  suppressed  laugh,  and  now  and  then 
an  audible  giggle,  passed  round  the  room,  the  mere 
ebullitions  of  buoyant  spirits  and  contagious  mirth, 
without  aim  or  object.  Miss  Jerusha,  who  was  try- 
ing to  behave  her  prettiest,  repeatedly  chided  their 
rudeness,  and  more  than  once  told  Miss  Betsey  Buck, 
that  she  ought  to  be  ashamed  to  be  laughing  so  much ; 
"  for  what  would  Mr.  Crotchet  think,  if  he  should 
come  in  and  find  them  all  of  a  giggle  ?" 

After  a  while  the  door  opened,  and  Mr.  Christo- 
pher Crotchet  entered.  Eh  bent  his  body  slightly, 


CHRISTOPHER     CROTCHET.  8 

as  he  passed  the  door,  to  prevent  a  concussion  of  his 
head  against  the  lintel,  and  then  walked  very  erect 
into  the  middle  of  the  floor,  and  made  a  short  speech 
to  his  class.  His  grotesque  appearance  caused  a  slight 
tittering  round  the  room,  and  Miss  Betsey  was  even 
guilty  of  an  incipient  audible  laugh,  which,  however, 
she  had  the  tact  so  far  to  turn  into  a  cough  as  to  save 
appearances.  Still  it  was  observed  by  Miss  Jerusha, 
who  told  her  again  in  a  low  whisper  that  she  ought 
to  be  ashamed,  and  added  that  "  Mr.  Crotchet  was  a 
most  splendid  man ;  a  beautiful  man." 

After  Mr.  Crotchet  had  made  his  introductory 
speech,  he  proceeded  to  try  the  voices  of  his  pupils, 
making  each  one  alone  follow  him  in  rising  and  fall- 
ing the  notes.  He  passed  round  without  difficulty  till 
he  came  to  Miss  Betsey  Buck.  She  rather  hesitated 
to  let  her  voice  be  heard  alone  ;  but  the  master  told 
her  she  must  sound,  and  holding  his  head  down  so 
close  to  hers  that  they  almost  met,  he  commenced 
pouring  his  faw,  sole,  law,  into  her  ear.  Miss  Betsey 
drew  back  a  little,  but  followed  with  a  low  and  some- 
what tremulous  voice,  till  she  had  sounded  three 
or  four  notes,  when  her  risible  muscles  got  the 
mastery,  and  sue  burst  out  in  an  unrestrained  fit  of 
laughter. 


90  'WAY   DOWN   EAST. 

The  master  looked  confused  and  cross ;  and  Miss 
Jerusha  even  looked  crosser  than  the  master.  She 
again  reproached  Miss  Betsey  for  her  rudeness,  and 
told  her  in  an  emphatic  whiter,  which  was  intended 
more  especially  for  the  master's  ear,  "  that  such  con- 
duct was  shameful,  and  if  she  couldn't  behave  better 
she  ought  to  stay  at  home." 

Miss  Jerusha's  turn  to  sound  came  next,  and  she 
leaned  her  head  full  half-way  across  the  table  to  meet 
the  master's,  and  sounded  the  notes  clear  through, 
three  or  four  times  over,  from  bottom  to  top  and 
from  top  to  bottom;  and  sounded  them  with  a 
loudness  and  trength  fully  equal  to  that  of  the 
master. 

"When  the  process  of  sounding  the  voices  separately 
had  been  gone  through  with,  they  were  called  upon 
to  sound  together ;  and  before  the  close  of  the  evening 
they  were  allowed  to  commence  the  notes  of  some 
easy  tunes.  It  is  unnecessary  here  to  give  a  detailed 
account  of  the  progress  that  was  made,  or  to  attempt 
to  describe  the  jargon  of  strange  sounds,  with  which 
Gibbs'  hall  echoed  that  night.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that 
the  proficiency  of  the  pupils  was  so  great,  that*  on  the 
tenth  evening,  or  when  the  school  was  half  through, 
the  parents  were  permitted  to  be  present,  and  were 


OHKISTOPHEB     CROTCHET.  91 

delighted  to  hear  their  children  sing  Old  Hundred, 
Mear,  St.  Martin's,  ISTorthfield,  and  Hallowell,  with  so 
much  accuracy,  that  those  who  knew  the  tunes,  could 
readily  tell,  every  time,  which  one  was  being  per- 
formed. Mrs.  Brown  was  almost  in  ecstasies  at 
the  performance,  and  sat  the  whole  evening  and 
looked  at  Jerusha,  who  sung  with  great  earnestness 

and  with  a  voice    far  above  all    the  rest.      Even 

• 

Squire  Brown  himself  was  so  much  softened  that 
evening,  that  his  face  wore  a  sort  of  smile,  and  he 
told  his  wife  "he  didn't  grudge  his  five  dollars,  a 
bit." 

The  school  went  on  swimmingly.  Mr.  Crotchet 
became  the  lion  of  the  village ;  and  Miss  Jerusha 
Brown  "thought  he  improved  upon  acquaintance 
astonishingly."  Great  preparation  was  made  at  Squire 
Brown's  for  the  important  week  of  boarding  the  sing- 
ing-master. They  outdid  all  the  village  in  the  quan- 
tity and  variety  of  their  eatables,  and  at  every  meal 
Miss  Jerusha  was  particularly  assiduous  in  placing 
all  the  good  things  in  the  neighborhood  of  Mr.  Crot- 
chet's plate.  In  fact,  so  bountifully  and  regularly  was 
Mr.  Crotchet  stuffed  during  the  week,  that  his  lank 
form  began  to  assume  a  perceptible  fulness.  He  evi  • 
dently  seemed  very  fond  of  his  boarding-place,  espe 


92  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

cially  at  meal  time ;  and  made  himself  so  much  at 
home,  that  Mrs.  Brown  and  Jerusha  were  in  a  state 
of  absolute  felicity  the  whole  week.  It  was  true  he 
spent  two  evenings  abroad  during  the  week,  and  it 
was  reported  that  one  of  them  was  passed  at  Mr. 
Buck's.  But  Miss  Jerusha  would  not  believe  a  word 
of  such  a  story.  She  said  "  there  was  no  young  folks 
at  Mr.  Buck's  except  Betsey,  and  she  was  sure  Mr. 
Crotchet  was  a  man  of  more  sense  than  to  spend  his 
evenings  with  such  a  wild,  rude  thing  as  Betsey 
Buck."  Still,  however,  the  report  gave  her  a  little 
uneasiness ;  and  when  it  was  ascertained,  that  dur 
ing  the  week  on  which  Mr.  Crotchet  boarded  at  Mr. 

%. 

Buck's  he  spent  every  evening  at  home,  except  the 
three  devoted  to  the  singing-school,  Miss  Jerusha's 
uneasiness  evidently  increased.  She  resolved  to  make 
a  desperate  effort  to  counteract  these  untoward  influ- 
ences, and  to  teach  Miss  Betsey  Buck  not  to  interfere 
with  other  folk's  concerns.  For  this  purpose  she 
made  a  grand  evening  party,  and  invited  all  the  young 
folks  of  the  village,  except  Miss  Buck,  who  was  point- 
edly left  out.  The  treat  was  elaborate  for  a  country 
^illage,  and  Miss  Jerusha  was  uncommonly  assiduous 
in  her  attentions  to  Mr.  Crotchet  during  the  evening. 
But  to  her  inexpressible  surprise  and  chagrin,  about 


CHRISTOPHER     CROTCHET.  93 

eight  o'clock,  Mr.  Crotchet  put  on  his  hat  and  great 
coat  and  bade  the  company  good  night.  Mrs.  Brown 
looked  very  blue,  and  Miss  Jerusha's  nerves  were  in 
a  state  of  high  excitement.  What  could  it  mean? 
She  would  give  anything  in  the  world  to  know  where 
he  had  gone.  She  ran  up  into  the  chamber  and 
looked  out  from  the  window.  The  night  was  rather 
dark,  but  she  fancied  she  saw  him  making  his  way 
toward  Mr.  Buck's.  The  company  for  the  remainder 
of  the  evening  had  rather  a  dull  time ;  and  Miss 
Jerusha  passed  almost  a  sleepless  night. 

The  next  evening  Miss  Jerusha  was  early  at  the 
singing-school.  She  took  her  seat  with  a  disconsolate 
air,  opened  her  singing-book  and  commenced  singing 
Hallowell  in  the  following  words : 

"  As  on  some  lonely  building's  top, 

The  sparrow  tells  her  moan, 
Far  from  the  tents  of  joy  and  hope, 
I  sit  and  grieve  alone." 

On  former  occasions,  when  the  scholars  were 
singing  before  school  commenced,  the  moment  the 
master  opened  the  door  they  broke  off  short,  even  if 
they  were  in  the  midst  of  a  tune.  But  now,  when 
the  master  entered,  Miss  Jerusha  kept  on  singing. 
She  went  through  the  whole  tune  after  Mr.  Crotchet 


94  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

came  in,  and  went  back  and  repeated  the  latter  half 
of  it  with  a  loud  and  full  voice,  which  caused  a  laugh 
among  the  scholars,  and  divers  streaks  of  red  to  pass 
over  the  master's  face. 

At  the  close  of  the  evening's  exercises  Miss  Jeru- 
sha  hurried  on  her  shawl  and  bonnet,  and  watched 
the  movements  of  the  master.  She  perceived  he 
went  out  directly  after  Betsey  Buck,  and  she  hastened 
after  them  with  becoming  speed.  She  contrived  to 
get  between  Miss  Buck  and  the  master  as  they 
walked  along  the  road,  and  kept  Mr.  Crotchet  in  close 
conversation  with  her,  or  rather  kept  herself  in  close 
conversation  with  Mr.  Crotchet,  till  they  came  to  the 
corner  that  turned  down  to  Mr.  Buck's  house.  Here 
Mr.  Crotchet  left  her  somewhat  abruptly,  and  walked 
by  the  side  of  Miss  Betsey  towards  Mr.  Buck's. 
This  was  more  than  Miss  Jerusha's  LLOI  ves  could  well 
bear.  She  was  under  too  much  excitement  to  pro- 
ceed on  her  way  home.  She  stopped  and  gazed  after 
the  couple  as  they  receded  from  her ;  and  as  their 
forms  became  indistinct  in  the  darkness  of  the  night, 
she  turned  and  followed  them,  just  keeping  them  in 
view  till  they  reached  the  house.  The  door  opened, 
and  to  her  inexpressible  horror,  they  both  went  in. 
It  was  pas*  ten  o'clock,  too !  She  was  greatly 


CHRISTOPHER     CROTCHET.  95 

puzzled.    The  affair  was  entirely  inexplicable  to  her. 
It  could  not  be,  however,  that  he  would  stop  many 
minutes,  and  she  waited  to  see  the  result.     Presently 
a  light  appeared  in  the  "  fore-room ;"  and  from  the 
mellowness  of  that  light,  a  fire  was  evidently  kindled 
there.     Miss    Jerusha    approached    the    house    and 
reconnoitred.     She  tried  to  look  in  at  the  window, 
but  a  thick  curtain  effectually  prevented  her  from 
seeing  anything  within.    The  curtain  did  not  reach 
quite  to  the  top  of  the  window,  and  she  thought  she 
saw  the  shadows  of   two  persons  before  the  fire, 
thrown  against  the  ceiling.     She  was  determined  by 
some  means  or  other  to  know  the  worst  of  it.     She 
looked  round  the  door-yard  and  found  a  long  piece  of 
board.     She  thought  by  placing  this  against  the  house 
by  the  side  of  the  window,  she  might  be  able  to 
climb  up  and  look  over  the  top  of  the  curtain.     The 
board  was  accordingly  raised  on  one  end  and  placed 
carefully  by  the  side  of  the  window,  and  Miss  Jeru- 
sha eagerly  commenced  the  task  of  climbing.     She 
had  reached  the  top  of  the  curtain  and  cast  one* 
glance  into  the  room,  where,  sure  enough,  she  beheld 
Mr.  Crotchet  seated  close  by  the  side  of  Miss  Betsey. 
At  this  interesting  moment,  from  some  cause  or  other, 
either  from  her  own  trembling,  for  she  was  exceed" 


96 

inglj  agitated,  or  from  the  board  not  being  properly 
supported  at  the  bottom,  it  slipped  and  canted,  and  in 
an  instant  one  half  of  the  window  was  dashed  with  a 
tremendous  crash  into  the  room. 

Miss  Jerusha  fell  to  the  ground,  but  not  being 
much  injured  by  the  fall,  she  sprang  to  her  feet  and 
ran  with  the  fleetness  of  a  wild  deer.  The  door 
opened,  and  out  came  Mr.  Crotchet  and  Mr.  Buck, 
and  started  in  the  race.  They  thought  they  had  a 
glimpse  of  some  person  running  up  the  road  when 
they  first  came  out,  and  Mr.  Crotchet's  long  legs 
measured  off  the  ground  with  remarkable  velocity. 
But  the  fright  had  added  so  essentially  to  Miss  Jeru- 
sha's  powers  of  locomotion,  that  not  even  Mr. 
Crotchet  could  overtake  her,  and  her  pursuers  soon 
lost  sight  of  her  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  and 
gave  up  the  chase  and  returned  home. 

Miss  Jerusha  was  not  seen  at  the  singing-school 
after  this,  and  Mrs.  Brown  said  she  stayed  at  home 
because  she  had  a  cough.  Notwithstanding  there 
were  many  rumors  and  surmises  afloat,  and  some 
slanderous  insinuations  thrown  out  against  Miss  Jeru- 
sha Brown,  yet  it  was  never  ascertained  by  the 
neighbors,  for  a  certainty,  who  it  was  that  demolished 
Mr  Buck's  window. 


CHE1STOPHER     CKOTOHBT.  ^ I 

One  item  farther  remains  to  be  added  to  this 
veritable  history ;  and  that  is,  that  in  three  months 
from  this  memorable  night,  Miss  Betsey  Buck  became 
Mrs.  Crotchet  of  Quavertown. 


''WAY     DOWN     E  «V  g  T 


CHAPTEE  V. 

POLLY   GKAT   AND  THE   DOCTORS. 

IT  was  a  dark,  and  rainy  night  in  June,  when  Deacon 
Gray,  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening,  drove  his 
horse 'and  wagon  up  to  the  door,  on  his  return  from 
market. 

"Oh  dear,  Mr.  Gray!"  exclaimed  his  wife,  as  she 
met  him  at  the  door,  "  I'm  dreadful  glad  you've  come ; 
Polly's  so  sick,  I'm  afraid  she  won't  live  till  mornin', 
if  something  ain't  done  foi  ner." 

"  Polly  is  always  ailing,"  said  the  deacon,  deliber- 
ately ;  "  I  guess  it's  only  some  of  her  old  aches  and 
pains.  Just  take  this  box  of  sugar  in;  it  has  been 
raining  on  it  this  hour." 

"Well,  do  come  right  in,  Mr.  Gray,  for  you  don't 
know  what  a  desput  case  she  is  in ;  I  daren't  leave  her 
a  minute." 

"  You  are  always  scared  half  to  death,"  said  the 
deacon,  "  if  anything  ails  Polly ;  but  you  know  she 
always  gets  over  it  again.  Here's  coffee  and  tea  and 


POLLY  GRAY   AND  THE  DOCTORS.    99 

some  other  notions  rolled  up  in  this  bag,"  handing  her 
another  bundle  to  carry  into  the  house. 

"  Well,  but  Mr.  Gray,  don't  pray  stop  for  bundles 
or  nothin'  else.  You  must  go  right  over  after  Doctor 
Longley,  and  get  him  here  as  quick  as  you  can." 

"  Oh,  if  it's  only  Doctor  Longley  she  wants,"  said 
the  deacon  carelessly,  "  I  guess  she  aint  so  dangerous, 
after  all." 

"  JSTow,  Mr.  Gray,  jest  because  Doctor  Longley  is  a 
young  man  and  about  Polly's  age,  that  you  shxmld 
make  such  an  unfeelin'  expression  as  that,  I  think  is 
too  bad." 

The  deacon  turned  away  without  making  a  reply, 
and  began  to  move  the  harness  from  the  horse. 

"  Mr.  Gray,  ain't  you  going  after  the  doctor  ?"  said 
Mrs.  Gray,  with  increasing  impatience. 

"  I'm  going  to  turn  the  horse  into  the  pasture,  and 
then  I'll  come  in  and  see  about  it,"  said  the  deacon. 

A  loud  groan  from  Polly  drew  Mrs.  Gray  hastily 
into  the  house.  The  deacon  led  his  horse  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  to  the  pasture  ;  let  down  the  bars  and  turn- 
ed him  in ;  put  all  the  bars  carefully  up ;  hur  ted 
round  and  found  a  stick  to  drive  in  as  a  wedge  to 
fasten  the  top  bar ;  went  round  the  barn  to  see  that 
the  doors  were  all  closed ;  got  an  armful  of  dry  straw 


100  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

and  threw  it  into  the  pig-pen ;  called  the  dog  from  his 
kennel,  patted  him  on  his  head,  and  went  into  the 
house. 

"  I'm  afraid  she's  dying,"  said  Mrs.  Gray,  as  the 
deacon  entered. 

"  You  are  always  scared  half  out  of  your  wits/'  said 
the  deacon,  "if  there's  anything  the  matter.  I'D 
come  in  as  soon  as  I've  took  off  my  coat  and  boots 
and  put  on  some  dry  ones." 

Mrs.  Gray  ran  back  to  attend  upon  Polly  ;  but  be- 
fore the  deacon  had  got  ready  to  enter  the  room,  Mrs. 
Gray  screamed  again  with  the  whole  strength  of  her 
lungs. 

"  Mr.  Gray,  Mr.  Gray,  do  make  haste,  she's  in  a  fit.'' 

This  was  the  first  sound  that  had  given  the  deacon 
any  uneasiness  about  the  matter.  He  had  been  ac- 
customed for  years  to  hear  his  wife  worry  about 
Polly,  and  had  heard  her  predict  her  death  so  often 
from  very  slight  illness,  that  he  had  come  to  regard 
such  scenes  and  such  predictions  with  as  little  atten- 
tion as  he  did  the  rain  that  pattered  against  the  win- 
dow. But  the  word  fit  was  something  he  had  never 
heard  applied  in  these  cases  before,  and  the  sound  of 
it  gave  him  a  strange  feeling  of  apprehension.  He 
had  just  thrown  off  Lis  boots  and  put  his  feet  into  dry 


POLLY     GRAY      AND     THE     DOCTORS.       101 

shoes,  and  held  a  dry  coat  in  his  hand,  when  this  last 
appeal  came  to  his  ear  and  caused  him  actually  to 
hasten  into  the  room. 

"  Polly,  what's  the  matter  now  ?"  said  the  deacon, 
beginning  to  be  somewhat  agitated,  as  he  approached 
the  bedside. 

Polly  was  in  violent  spasms,  and  heeded  not  the 
inquiry.  The  deacon  took  hold  of  her  arm,  and 
repeated  the  question  more  earnestly  and  in  a  tender 
tone. 

"  You  may  as  well  speak  to  the  dead,"  said  Mrs. 
Gray ;  "  she's  past  hearing  or  speaking." 

The  deacon's  eyes  looked  wild,  and  his  face  grew 
very  long. 

"  Why  didn't  you  tell  me  how  sick  she  was  when  I 
first  got  home?"  said  the  deacon  with  a  look  of 
rebuke. 

"  I  did  tell  you  when  you  first  come,"  said  Mrs. 
Gray,  sharply,  "and  you  didn't  take  no  notice  on 
it," 

"  You  didn't  tell  me  anything  about  how  sick  she 
was,"  said  the  deacon ;  "  you  only  spoke  jest  as  you 
used  to,  when  sne  wasn't  hardly  sick  at  all." 

The  subject  here  seemed  to  subside  by  mutual 
consent,  and  both  stood  with  their  eyes  fixed  upon 


102 

Polly,  who  was  apparently  struggling  in  the  fierce 
agonies  of  death.  In  a  few  minutes,  however,  she 
came  out  of  the  spasm,  breathed  comparatively  easy, 
and  lay  perfectly  quiet.  The  deacon  spoke  to  her 
again.  She  looked  up  with  a  wild  delirious  look,  but 
made  no  answer. 

"  I'll  go  for  the  doctor,"  said  the  deacon,  "  It  may 
be  he  can  do  something  for  her,  though  she  looks  to 
me  as  though  it  was  gone  goose  with  her." 

Saying  this,  he  put  on  his  hat  and  coat  and  started- 
Having  half  a  mile  to  go,  and  finding  the  doctor  in 
bed,  it  was  half  an  hour  before  he  returned  with  Doc- 
tor Longley  in  his  company.  In  the  meantime  Mrs. 
Gray  had  called  in  old  Mrs.  Livermore,  who  lived 
next  door,  and  they  had  lifted  Polly  up  and  put  a 
clean  pillow  upon  the  bed,  and  a  clean  cap  on  her 
head,  and  had  been  round  and  "slicked  up"  the 
room  a  little,  for  Mrs.  Livermore  said,  "  Doctor  Long- 
ley  was  such  a  nice  man  she  always  loved  to  see 
things  look  tidy  where  he  was  coming  to." 

The  deacon  came  in  and  hung  his  hat  up  behind 
the  door,  and  Doctor  Longley  followed  with  his  hat 
in  his  hand  and  a  small  pair  of  saddle-bags  on  his 
arm.  Mrs.  Gray  stood  at  one  side  of  the  bed,  and 
Mrs.  Livermore  at  the  other,  and  the  doctor  laid 


POLLY  GRAY  AND  THE  DOCTORS.   103 

his  hat  and  saddle-bags  on  the  table  that  stood  by 
the  window,  and  stepped  immediately  to  the  bed- 
side. 

"Miss  Gray,  are  you  sick?"  said  the  doctor, 
taking  the  hand  of  the  patient. 

"No  answer  or  look  from  the  patient  gave  any 
indication  that  she  heard  the  question. 

"  How  long  has  she  been  ill  ?"  said  the  doctor. 

"  Ever  since  mornin',"  said  Mrs.  Gray.  "  She  got 
up  with  a  head-ache,  jest  after  her  father  went  away 
to  market,  and  smart  pains  inside,  and  she's  been 
growing  worse  all  day." 

"  And  what  have  you  given  her  ?"  said  the  doctor. 

"  Nothing,  but  arb-drink,"  said  Mrs.  Gray ;  "  when- 
ever she  felt  worse,  I  made  her  take  a  good  deal  of 
arb-drink,  because  that,  you  know,  is  always  good, 
doctor.  And  besides,  when  it  can't  do  no  good,  it 
would  do  no  hurt." 

"  But  what  sort  of  drinks  have  you  given  her  ?" 
said  the  doctor. 

"Well,  I  give  her  most  all  sorts,  for  we  had  a 
plenty  of  'em  in  the  house,"  said  Mrs.  Gray.  "  I 
give  her  sage,  and  peppermint,  and  sparemint,  and 
cammermile,  and  pennyryal,  and  motherwort,  and 
balm ;  you  know,  balm  is  very  coolin',  doctor,  and 


104 

sometimes  she'd  be  very  hot,  and  then  I'd  make  her 
drink  a  good  dose  of  balm." 

"  Give  me  a  candle,"  said  the  doctor. 

The  deacon  brought  a  candle  and  held  it  over  the 
patient's  head.  The  doctor  opened  her  mouth  and 
examined  it  carefully  for  the  space  of  a  minute.  He 
felt  her  pulse  another  minute,  and  looked  again  into 
her  mouth. 

"  Low  pulse,  but  heavy  and  labored  respiration," 
said  the  doctor. 

"  "What  do  you  think  ails  her  ?"  said  Mrs.  Gray. 

The  doctor  shook  his  head. 

"  Do  you  think  you  can  give  her  anything  to  helf 
her  ?"  said  the  deacon,  anxiously. 

The  doctor  looked  very  grave,  and  fixed  his  eye? 
thoughtfully  on  the  patient  for  a  minute,  but  made  nc 
reply  to  the  deacon's  question. 

"  Why  didn't  you  send  for  me  sooner  ?"  at  last  said 
the  doctor,  turning  to  Mrs.  Gray. 

"  Because  I  thought  my  arb-drink  would  help  her, 
and  so  I  kept  trying  it  all  day  till  it  got  to  be  dark, 
and  then  she  got  to  be  so  bad  I  didn't  dare  to  leave 
her  till  Mr.  Gray  got  home." 

"  It's  a  great  pity,"  said  the  doctor,  turning  from 
the  bed  to  the  table  and  opening  his  saddle-bags 


POLLY     GRAY     AND     THE     DOCTORS.       105 

"  Thousands  and  thousands  of  lives  are  lost  only  by 
delaying  to  send  for  medical  advice  till  it  is  too  late  { 
thousands  that  might  have  been  saved  as  well  as  not, 
if  only  taken  in  season." 

"  But  doctor,  you  don't  think  it's  too  late  for  Polly, 
do  you  ?"  said  Mrs.  Gray. 

"  I  think  her  case,  to  say  the  least,  is  extremely 
doubtful,"  said  the  doctor.  "  Her  appearance  is  very 
remarkable.  Whatever  her  disease  is,  it  has  made 
such  progress,  and  life  is  so  nearly  extinct,  that  it  is 
impossible  to  tell  what  were  the  original  symptoms, 
and  consequently  what  applications  are  best  to  be 
made." 

"  Well,  now,  doctor,"  said  Mrs.  Livermore,  "  excuse 
me  for  speakin' ;  but  I'm  a  good  deal  older  than  you 
are,  and  have  seen  a  great  deal  of  sickness  in  my 
day,  and  I've  been  in  here  with  Polly  a  number  of 
times  to-day,  and  sometimes  this  evening,  and  I'm 
satisfied,  doctor,  there's  somethirg  the  matter  of  her 
insides." 

"  Undoubtedly,"  said  the  doctor,  looking  very 
grave. 

This  new  hint  froiii  Mrs.  Livermore  seemed  to 
give  Mrs.  Gray  new  hope,  and  she  appealed  agair  to 

the  doctor 

6* 


106 

'  Well,  now,  doctor,"  said  she,  "  don't  you  tlnnfr 
Mrs.  Livermore  has  the  right  of  it  2" 

"  Most  unquestionably,"  said  the  doctor. 

"  Well,  then,  doctor,  if  you  should  give  her  some- 
thing that's  pretty  powerful  to  operate  inwardly, 
don't  you  think  it  might  help  her  ?" 

"  It  might,  and  it  might  not,"  said  the  doctor ; 
"  the  powers  of  life  are  so  nearly  exhausted,  I  must 
tell  you  frankly  I  have  very  little  hope  of  being 
able  to  rally  them.  There  is  not  life  enough  left  to 
indicate  the  disease  or  show  the  remedies  that  are 
wanted.  Applications  now  must  be  made  entirely 
in  the  dark,  and  leave  the  effect  to  chance." 

At  this,  Mrs.  Livermore  took  the  candle  and  was 
proceeding  to  remove  it  from  the  room,  when  the 
doctor,  perceiving  her  mistake,  called  her  back. 
He  did  not  mean  to  administer  the  medicine  literally 
in  a  dark  room,  but  simply  in  a  state  of  darkness  and 
ignorance  as  to  the  nature  of  the  disease.  It  was  a 
very  strange  case ;  it  was  certain  life  could  hold  out 
but  a  short  time  longer ;  he  felt  bound  to  do  some- 
thing, and  therefore  proceeded  to  prepare  such  appli- 
cations and  remedies  as  his  best  judgment  dictated. 
These  were  administered  without  confidence,  and 
their  effect  awaited  with  painful  solicitude.  They 


POLLY     GRAY     AND     THE      DOCTORS.       107 

either  produced  no  perceptible  effect  at  all,  or  very 
different  from  the  ordinary  results  of  such  applica- 
tions. 

"  I  should  like,"  said  Doctor  Longley  to  the  deacon, 
"  to  have  you  call  in  Doctor  Stubbs ;  this  is  a  very 
extraordinary  case,  and  I  should  prefer  that  some 
other  medical  practitioner  might  be  present." 

The  deacon  accordingly  hastened  to  call  Doctor 
Stubbs,  a  young  man  who  had  come  into  the  place  a 
a  short  time  before,  with  a  high  reputation,  but  not  a 
favorite  with  the  deacon  and  his  family,  on  account  of 
his  being  rather  fresh  from  college,  and  full  of  modern 
innovations. 

After  Doctor  Stubbs  had  examined  the  patient,  and 
made  various  inquiries  of  the  family,  he  and  Doctor 
Longley  held  a  brief  consultation.  Their  united  wis- 
dom, however,  was  not  sufficient  to  throw  any  light 
upon  the  case  or  to  afford  any  relief. 

"Have  you  thought  of  poison?"  said  Doctor 
Longley. 

"  Yes,"  said  Doctor  Stubbs,  "  but  there  are  certain 
indications  in  the  case,  which  forbid  that  altogether. 
Indeed,  I  can  form  no  satisfactory  opinion  about  it ; 
it  is  the  most  anomalous  case  I  ever  knew." 

Before  their  conference  was  brought  to  a  close,  the 


108 

deacon  called  them,  saying  he  believed  Polly  was  a 
going.  They  came  into  the  room  and  hastened  to 
the  bedside. 

"  Yes,"  said  Doctor  Stubbs,  looking  at  the  patient, 
"  those  are  dying  struggles ;  in  a  short  time  all  her 
troubles  in  this  life  wiJ  be  over." 

The  patient  sunk  gradually  and  quietly  away,  and 
in  the  course  of  two  hours  after  the  arrival  of  Doctor 
Stubbs,  all  signs  of  life  were  gone. 

"  The  Lord's  will  be  done,"  said  the  deacon,  as  he 
stood  by  the  bed  and  saw  her  chest  heave  for  the  last 
time. 

Mrs.  Gray  sat  in  the  corner  of  the  room  with  her 
apron  to  her  face  weeping  aloud.  Old  Mrs.  Liver- 
more  and  two  other  females,  who  had  been  called  in 
during  the  night,  were  already  busily  employed  in 
preparing  for  laying  out  the  corpse. 

It  was  about  daybreak  when  the  two  doctors  left 
the  house  and  started  for  home. 

"Very  singular  case,"  said  Doctor  Stubbs,  who 
spoke  with  more  ease  and  freedom,  now  that  they 
were  out  of  the  way  of  the  afflicted  family.  "  "We 
ought  not  to  give  it  up  so,  Doctor ;  we  ought  to  follow 
this  case  up  till  we  ascertain  what  was  the  cause  of 
aer  death.  What  say  to  a  post  mortem  examination  ?  / 


POLLY     GRAY     AND     THE     DOCTOBS.      109 

"I  always  dislike  them,"  said  Doctor  Longley 
"they  are  ugly  uncomfortable  jobs;   and  besides,] 
doubt  whether  the  deacon's  folks  would  consent  to  it." 

"  It  is  important  for  us,  as  well  as  for  the  cause  of 
the  science,'"  stvid  Doctor  Stubbs,  "  that  something 
should  be  done  about  it.  We  are  both  young,  and  it 
may  have  an  injurious  bearing  upon  our  reputation 
if  we  are  not  able  to  give  any  explanation  of  the  case. 
I  consider  my  reputation  at  stake  as  well  as  yours,  as 
I  was  called  in  for  consultation.  There  will  doubt- 
less be  an  hundred  rumors  afloat,  and  the  older  phy- 
sicians, who  look  upon  us,  you  know,  with  rather  an 
evil  eye,  will  be  pretty  sure  to  lay  hold  of  the  matter 
and  turn  it  greatly  to  our  disadvantage,  if  we  cannot 
show  facts  for  our  vindication.  The  deacon's  folks 
must  consent,  and  you  had  better  go  down  after  break- 
fast and  have  a  talk  with  the  deacon  about  it." 

Doctor  Longley  felt  the  force  of  the  reasoning,  and 
consented  to  go.  Accordingly,  after  breakfast,  he 
returned  to  Deacon  Gray's,  and  kindly  offered  his 
services,  if  there  was  any  assistance  he  could  rendei 
in  making  preparations  for  the  funeral.  The  deacon 
felt  much  obliged  to  him,  but  didn't  know  as  there 
was  anything  for  which  they  particularly  needed  his 
assistance.  The  doctor  then  broached  the  subject  of 


110 

the  very  sudden  and  singular  death  of  Polly,  and  low 
important  it  was  for  the  living  that  the  causes  of  such 
a  sudden  death  should,  if  possible,  be  ascertained,  and 
delicately  hinted  that  the  only  means  of  obtaining 
this  information,  so  desirable  for  the  benefit  of  the 
science  and  so  valuable  for  all  living,  was  by  open- 
ing and  examining  the  body  after  death. 

A.t  this  the  deacon  looked  up  at  him  with  such  an 
awful  expression  of  holy  horror,  that  the  doctor  saw 
at  once  it  would  be  altogether  useless  to  pursue  the 
subject  further.  Accordingly,  after  advising,  on 
account  of  the  warm  weather  and  the  patient  dying 
suddenly  and  in  full  blood,  not  to  postpone  the  funeral 
later  ";han  that  afternoon,  the  doctor  took  his  leave. 

"  Well,  what  is  the  result  ?"  said  Doctor  Stubbs,  as 
Doctor  Longley  entered  his  door. 

"  Oh,  as  I  expected,"  said  Doctor  Longley.  "  The 
moment  I  hinted  at  the  subject  to  the  deacon,  I  saw 
by  his  looks,  if  it  were  to  save  his  own  life  and  the 
lives  of  all  his  friends,  he  never  would  consent  to  it." 

"  Well,  'tis  astonishing,"  said  Doctor  Stubbs,  "  that 
people  who  have  common  sense  should  have  so  little 
sense  on  a  subject  of  this  kind.  I  won't  be  baffled  so, 
Doctor  Longley ;  I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do.  What 
time  is  she  to  be  buried  ?" 


POLLY   GRAY  AND   THE  DOCTORS. 

"  This  afternoon,"  said  Doctor  Longley. 

-£  In  the  burying-ground  by  the  old  meeting-house 
up  the  road,  I  suppose,"  said  Doctor  Stubbs. 

"  Yes,  undoubtedly,"  replied  Dr.  Longley. 

"  Well,  I'll  have  that  corpse  taken  up  this  night, 
and  you  may  depend  upon  it,"  said  Doctor  Stubbs, 
"  I'll  not  only  ascertain  the  cause  of  her  death,  but  I 
want  a  subject  for  dissection,  and  she,  having  died  so 
suddenly,  will  make  an  excellent  one." 

Doctor  Longley  shuddered  a  little  at  the  bold  pro- 
ject of  Doctor  Stubbs.  "  You  know,  Doctor,  there  is 
a  law  against  it,"  said  he,  "  and  besides,  the  burying- 
ground  is  in  such  a  lonely  place  and  surrounded  by 
woods,  I  don't  believe  you  can  find  anybody  with 
nerve  enough  to  go  there  and  take  up  a  newly  buried 
corpse  in  the  night." 

"  Let  me  alone  for  that,"  said  Doctor  Stubbs.  "  I 
know  a  chap  that  would  do  it  every  night  in  the  week 
if  I  wanted  him  to  ;  a  friend  of  mine  down  there  in 
the  college,  in  the  senior  class.  He  has  nerve  enough 
to  go  anywhere,  and  is  up  to  a  job  of  this  kind  at  any 
time.  The  business  is  all  arranged,  Doctor,  and  I  shaL 
go  through  with  it.  Joe  Palmer  is  the  man  for  it,  and 
Rufus  Barnes  will  go  with  him.  I'd  go  myself,  but 
it  would  be  more  prudent  for  me  to  be  at  home,  for  i» 


112 


case  of  accident,  and  the  thing  should  be  discovered, 
suspicion  would  be  likely  to  fall  on  me,  and  it  would 
be  important  for  me  to  be  able  to  prove  where  I  was. 
Kufus  must  go  to  the  funeral  and  see  whereabouts  the 
corpse  is  buried,  so  he  can  find  the  place  in  a  dark 
night,  and' I  shall  have  to  go  down  to  the  college  the 
first  of  the  evening  after  Joe  myself,  and  get  him 
started,  and  then  come  right  home,  and  stay  at  home, 
so  that  I  can  prove  an  alibi  in  case  of  any  questions. 
Don't  I  understand  it,  Doctor  ?" 

"  Yes,  full  well  enough,"  said  Doctor  Longley, 
"  but  I  had  rather  you  would  be  in  the  scrape  than  I 
should." 

That  evening,  half  an  hour  after  dark,  there  was  a 
light  rap  at  Joe  Palmer's  door  in  the  third  story  of 
one  of  the  college  buildings.  The  door  was  partly 
open,  and  Joe  said  "  Come  in."  No  one  entered,  but 
in  a  few  moments  the  rap  was  heard  again.  "  Come 
in,"  said  Joe.  Still  no  one  entered.  Presently  a 
figure,  concealed  under  a  cloak  and  with  muffled  face, 
appeared  partly  before  the  door,  and  said  something 
in  a  low  voice.  Joe  looked  wild  and  agitated.  Some 
college  scrape,  he  thought,  but  what  was  the  nature  of 
it  he  couli  not  divine.  The  figure  looked  mysterious. 
Presently  the  voice  was  heard  again,  and  understood 


POT.LY      GRAY     AND     THE     DOCTORS.       113 

to  utter  the  word  Palmer.  Joe  was  still  more  agitated, 
and  looked  at  his  chum  most  inquiringly.  His  chum 
stepped  to  the  door  and  asked  what  was  wanting. 
The  figure  drew  back  into  the  darkness  of  the  hall, 
and  answered  in  a  faint  voice,  that  he  wanted  Palmer. 
At  last  Palmer  screwed  his  resolution  up  to  the  stick- 
ing point  and  ventured  as  far  as  the  door,  while  his 
chum  stepped  back  into  the  room.  The  figure  again 
came  forward  and  whispered  to  Palmer  to  come  out, 
for  he  wanted  to  speak  with  him. 

".But  who  are  you  ?"  said  Palmer. 

The  figure  partially  uncovered  his  face,  and 
whispered  "  Doctor  Stubbs." 

Palmer  at  once  recognized  him,  and  stepped  back 
as  bold  as  a  lion,  and  took  his  hat  and  went  out.  In 
a  few  minutes  he  returned  and  told  his  chum,  with 
rather  a  mysterious  air,  that  he  was  going  out  with  a 
friend  to  be  gone  two  or  three  hours,  that  he  need  not 
feel  uneasy  about  him,  and  might  leave  the  dooi 
unfastened  for  him  till  he  returned. 

Doctor  Stubbs,  having  given  Joe  and  Eufus  full 
directions  how  to  proceed,  telling  them  to  get  a 
large  wide  chaise,  so  that  they  could  manage  to  carry 
the  corpse  conveniently,  and  informing  them  where 
they  could  find  spades  and  shovels  deposited  by  the 


m 

side  of  the  road  for  the  purpose,  left  them  and  has- 
tened home. 

"  Well  now,  Rufe,"  said  Joe,  "  we'll  just  go  over 
to  Jake  Eider's  and  get  one  of  his  horses  and  chaise. 
But  we  needn't  be  in  a  hurry,  for  we  don't  want  to 
get  there  much  before  midnight ;  and  we'll  go  into 
the  store  here  and  get  a  drink  of  brandy  to  begin 
with,  for  this  kind  of  business  needs  a  little  stimulus." 

Having  braced  their  nerves  with  a  drink  of  brandy, 
they  proceeded  to  Jacob  Rider's. 

"  Jake,  give  us  a  horse  and  chaise  to  take  a  ride 
three  or  four  hours,"  said  Joe.  You  needn't  mind 
setting  up  for  us ;  we'll  put  the  horse  up  when  we 
come  back,  and  take  good  care  of  him;  we  know 
where  to  put  him.  We  don't  want  a  nag;  an  old 
steady  horse  that  will  give  us  an  easy,  pleasant  ride." 

"  Old  Tom  is  jest  the  horse  you  want,"  said  Jacob. 
"  and  there's  a  good  easy  going  chaise." 

"  That  chaise  isn't  wide  enough,"  said  Joe  ;  "  give 
us  the  widest  one  you've  got." 

"  But  that's  plenty  wide  enough  for  two  to  ride 
in,"  said  Jacob  ;  "  I  don't  see  what  you  want  a  widei 
chaise  than  that  for." 

a  Oh,  I  like  to  have  plenty  of  elbow  room,"  said 
I  oe. 


POLLY     GKAT     AND     THE     DOCTORS.       115 

"Maybe  you  are  going  to  have  a  lady  to  ride 
with  you,"  $aid  Jacob. 

Joe  laughed,  and  whispered  to  Rufus  mat  Jake 
had  hit  nearer  the  mark  than  he  was  aware  of. 

Jacob  selected  another  chaise.  "There  is  one," 
said  he  "  wide  enougli  for  three  to  ride  in,  and  even 
four  upon  a  pinch." 

"  That'll  do,"  said  Joe  ;  "now  put  in  old  Tom." 

The  horse  was  soon  harnessed,  and  Joe  and  Rufus 
jumped  into  the  chaise  and  drove  off. 

"  Confound  these  college  chaps,"  said  Jacob  to 
himself  as  they  drove  out  of  the  yard ;  "  they  are 
always  a  sky-larkin'  somewhere  or  other.  There's 
one  thing  in  it,  though,  they  pay  me  well  for  my 
horses.  But  these  two  fellows  wanting  such  a 
broad  chaise ;  they  are  going  to  have  a  real  frolic 
somewhere  to  night.  I've  a  plaguy  good  mind  to 
jump  on  to  one  of  the  horses  and  follow,  and  see 
what  sort  of  snuff  they  are  up  to.  It's  so  dark  I 
could  do  it  just  as  well  as  not,  without  the  least 
danger  of  their  seeing  me." 

No  sooner  thought  than  done.  Jake  at  once 
mounted  one  of  his  horses,  and  followed  the  chaise. 
There  was  no  moon,  and  the  night  was  cloudy  and 
dark ;  but  a  slight  rattle  in  one  of  the  wheels  of  the 


116  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

chaise  enabled  him  easily  to  follow  it,  though 
entirely  out  of  sight.  Having  gone  about  two  miles 
the  chaise  stopped  at  the  corner,  about  a  hundred 
rods  from  the  house  of  Dr.  Stubbs.  Jake  got  off 
and  hitched  his  horse,  and  crept  carefully  along  by 
the  side  of  the  fence  to  see  what  was  done  there. 
By  stooping  down  and  looking  up  against  a  clear 
patch  of  sky,  he  could  see  one  of  the  two  leave  the 
chaise  and  go  to  the  fence  by  the  side  of  the  road, 
and  return  again,  carrying  something  in  his  arms  to 
the  chaise.  He  repeated  this  operation  twice;  but 
what  he  carried  Jake  could  not  discern.  Perhaps 
it  might  be  some  baskets  of  refreshments.  They 
were  going  off  to  some  house  to  have  a  frolic.  The 
chaise  moved  on  again,  and  Jake  mounted  his  horse 
and  followed.  They  went  up  the  road  till  they 
came  to  the  old  meeting-house ;  they  passed  it  a 
little,  and  came  against  the  old  burying-ground. 
The  chaise  stopped  and  Jake  stopped.  The  chaise 
stood  still  for  the  space  of  about  five  minutes,  and 
there  was  not  the  least  sound  to  be  heard  in  any 
direction.  At  last,  from  the  little  rattle  of  the  chaise 
wheel,  he  perceived  they  were  moving  at  a  moderate 
walk.  They  came  to  the  corner  of  the  burying- 
ground,  and  turned  a  little  out  of  the  road  and 


POLLY  OKAY  AND  THE  DOCTORS.   117 

stopped  the  chaise  under  the  shadow  of  a  large 
spreading  tree,  where  it  could  not  be  perceived  by 
any  one  passing  in  the  road,  even  should  the  clouds 
brush  away  and  leave  it  starlight. 

"  It  is  very  odd,"  thought  Jake,  "  that  they  should 
stop  at  such  a  place  as  this  in  a  dark  night ;  the  last 
place  in  the  world  I  should  think  of  stopping  at." 

Jake  dismounted  and  hitched  his  horse  a  little  dis- 
tance, and  crept  carefully  up  to  watch  their  move- 
ments. They  took  something  out  of  the  chaise, 
passed  along  by  the  fence,  went  through  the  little 
gate,  and  entered  the  burying-ground.  Here  a  new 
light  seemed  to  flash  upon  Jake's  mind. 

"  I  hope  no  murder  has  been  committed,"  thought 
he  to  himself;  "but  it's  pretty  clear  something  is  to 
be  buried  here  to-night  that  the-  world  must  know 
nothing  about." 

Jake  was  perplexed,  and  in  doubt  as  to  what  he 
should  do.  He  had  some  conscience,  and  felt  as 
though  he  ought  to  investigate  the  matter,  and  put  a 
stop  to  the  business  if  anything  very  wicked  was 
going  on.  But  then  there  were  other  considerations 
that  weighed  on  the  other  side.  If  murder  had  been 
committed,  it  was  within  the  range  of  possibili ty,  and 
not  very  unreasonable  to  suppose,  that  murder  might 


118 

be  committed  again  to  conceal  it.  There  were  two 
of  them,  and  he  was  alone.  It  might  not  be  entirely 
safe  for  him  to  interfere.  He  would  hardly  care  to 
be  thrown  into  a  grave  and  buried  there  that  night. 
And  then,  again,  Jake  was  avaricious,  and  wouldn't 
care  to  break  friends  with  those  college  fellows,  foi 
they  paid  him  a  good  deal  of  money.  On  the  whole, 
he  was  resolved  to  keep  quiet  and  see  the  end  of  the 
matter. 

Joe  and  Rufus  walked  two-thirds  of  the  way 
across  the  burying-ground  and  stopped.  Jake  fol- 
lowed at  a  careful  distance,  and  when  he  found  they 
had  stopped,  he  crept  slowly  up  on  the  darkest  side, 
so  near  that,  partly  by  sight  and  partly  by  sound,  he 
could  discover  what  took  place.  There  was  not  a 
loud  word  spoken,  though  he  occasionally  heard  them 
whisper  to  each  other.  Then  he  heard  the  sound  of 
shovels  and  the  moving  of  the  gravel. 

"  It  is  true,"  said  Jake  to  himself,  "  they  are  dig 
ging  a  grave  !"  and  the  cold  sweat  started  on  his  fore 
head.  Still  he  resolved  to  be  quiet  and  see  it  all 
through.  Once  or  twice  they  stopped  and  seemed  to 
be  listening,  as  though  they  thought  they  heard  some 
noise.  Then  he  could  hear  them  whisper  to  each 
other,  but  could  not  understand  what  they  said.  After 


POLLY  GKAY  AND  THE  DOCTORS.   119 

they  had  been  digging  and  throwing  out  gravel  some 
time,  he  heard  a  sound  like  the  light  knock  of  a  shovel 
upon  the  lid  of  a  coffin. 

"Take  care,"  said  Joe,  in  a  very  loud  whisper, 
"it'll  never  do  to  make  such  a  noise  as  that;  it 
could  be  heard  almost  half  a  mile ;  do  be  more  care- 
ful." 

Again  they  pursued  their  work,  and  occasionally  a 
hollow  sound  like  a  shovel  scraping  over  a  coffin  was 
heard.  At  length  their  work  of  throwing  out  gravel 
seemed  to  be  completed  ;  and  then  there  was  a  pause 
for  some  time,  interrupted  occasionally  by  sounds  of 
screwing,  and  wedging,  and  wrenching ;  and  at  last 
they  seemed  to  be  lifting  some  heavy  substance  out 
of  the  grave.  They  carried  it  toward  the  gate.  Jake 
was  lying  almost  upon  the  ground,  and  as  they  passed 
near  him,  he  could  perceive  they  were  carrying  some 
white  object  about  the  length  and  size  of  a  corpse. 
They  went  out  at  the  gate  and  round  to  the  chaise ; 
and  presently  they  returned  again,  and  appeared  by 
their  motions  and  the  sound  to  be  filling  up  the  grave. 
Jake  took  this  opportunity  to  go  and  examine  the 
chaise ;  and  sure  enough  he  found  there  a  full-sized 
corpse,  wrapped  in  a  white  sheet,  lying  in  the  centre 
of  the  chaise,  the  feet  resting  on  the  floor,  the  body 


120 

leaning  across  the  seat,  ana  the  head  resting  against 
the  centre  of  the  back  part  of  the  chaise. 

"  Only  some  scrape  of  the  doctor's  after  all,"  said 
Jake  to  himself,  who  now  began  to  breathe  somewhat 
easier  than  he  had  done  for  some  time  past.  "  But 
it's  rather  shameful  business,  though ;  this  must  be 
Deacon  Gray's  daughter,  I'm  sure ;  and  it's  a  shame 
to  treat  the  old  man  in  this  shabby  kind  of  way.  I'll 
put  a  stop  to  this,  anyhow.  Polly  Gray  was  too  good 
a  sort  of  a  gal  to  be  chopped  up  like  a  quarter  of  beef, 
according  to  my  way  of  thinking,  and  it  shan't  be." 

Jake  then  lifted  the  corpse  out  of  the  chaise,  car- 
risd  it  a  few  rods  farther  from  the  road,  laid  it  down, 
took  off  the  winding-sheet,  wrapped  it  carefully  round 
himself,  went  back  and  got  into  the  chaise,  and  placed 
himself  exactly  in  the  position  in  which  the  corpse 
had  been  left.  He  had  remained  in  that  situation  but 
a  short  time  before  Joe  and  Kufus,  having  filled  up 
the  grave  and  made  all  right  there,  came  and  seated 
themselves  in  the  chaise,  one  on  each  side  of  the 
corpse,  and  drove  slowly  and  quietly  off. 

"  I'm  glad  it's  over,"  said  Rufus,  fetching  a  long 
breath.  "  My  'heart 's  been  in  my  mouth  the  whole 
time.  I  thought  I  heard  somebody  coming  half  a 
dozen  times ;  and  then  it's  such  a  dismal  gloomy  place 


P  ©  L  L  Y     G  R  A  T     AND     THE     DOCTORS.       121 

too.  You  would  n't  catch  me  there  again,  in  such  a 
scrape,  I  can  tell  you.." 

"  Well,  I  was  calm  as  clock-work  the  whole  time," 
said  Joe.  "  You  should  have  such  pluck  as  I've  got, 
Kufe ;  nothing  ever  frightens  me." 

At  that  moment  the  chaise  wheel  struck  a  stone, 
and  caused  the  corpse  to  roll  suddenly  against  Joe. 
He  clapped  up  his  hand  to  push  it  a  little  back,  and 
instead  of  a  cold  clammy  corpse,  he  felt  his  hand 
pressed  against  a  warm  face  of  live  flesh.  As  quick 
as  though  he  had  been  struck  by  lightning,  Joe 
dropped  the  reins,  and  with  one  bound  sprang  a  rod 
from  the  chaise  and  ran  for  his  life.  Rufus,  without 
knowing  the  cause  of  this  strange  and  sudden  move- 
ment, sprang  from  the  other  side  with  almost  equal 
agility,  and  followed  Joe  with  his  utmost  speed.  They 
scarcely  stopped  to  take  breath  till  they  had  run  two 
miles  and  got  into  Joe's  room  at  the  college,  and  shut 
the  door  and  locked  themselves  in.  Here,  having 
sworn  Joe's  chum  to  secresy,  they  began  to  discuss 
the  matter.  But  concerning  the  very  strange  warmth 
of  the  corpse  they  could  come  to  no  satisfactory  con- 
clusion. Whether  it  could  be,  that  they  had  not 
actually  taken  up  the  corpse  from  the  grave,  but 

before  they  had  got  down  to  it  some  evil  spirit  had 

6 


122 

come  in  the  shape  of  the  corpse  and  deceived  them, 
or  whether  it  was  actually  the  corpse,  and  it  had  come 
to  life,  or  whether  it  was  the  ghost  of  Polly  Gray, 
were  questions  they  could  not  decide.  They  agreed, 
however,  to  go  the  next  morning  by  sunrise  on  to  the 
ground,  and  see  what  discoveries  they  could  make. 

When  Jacob  Rider  found  himself  alone  in  the 
chaise,  being  convinced  that  Joe  and  Hufus  would 
not  come  back  to  trouble  him  that  night,  he  turned 
about  and  drove  back  to  the  burying-ground. 

"  Now,"  said  Jake,  "  I  think  the  best  thing  I  can 
do,  for  all  concerned,  is  to  put  Polly  Gray  back 
where  she  belongs,  and  there  let  her  rest." 

Accordingly  Jake  went  to  work  and  opened  the 
grave  again,  carried  the  corpse  and  replaced  it  as 
well  as  he  could,  and  filled  up  the  grave  and  rounded 
it  off  in  good  order.  He  then  took  his  horse  and 
chaise .  and  returned  home,  well  satisfied  with  his 
night's  work. 

The  next  morning,  some  time  before  sunrise,  and 
before  any  one  was  stirring  in  the  neighborhood, 
Joe  and  Eufus  were  at  the  old  burying-ground. 
They  went  round  the  inclosure,  went  to  the  tree 
where  they  had  fastened  their  horse,  and  looked  on 
every  side,  but  discovered  nothing.  They  went 


POLLY  GKAY  AND  THE  DOC1OB8.   123 

through  the  gate,  and  across  to  the  grave  where 
they  had  been  the  night  before.  The  grave  looked 
all  right,  as  though  it  had  not  been  touched  since 
the  funeral.  They  could  see  nothing  of  the  horse 
or  chaise,  and  they  concluded  if  the  corpse  or  evil 
spirit,  *or  whatever  it  was  in  the  chaise,  had  left  the 
horse  to  himself,  he  probably  found  his  way  directly 
home.  They  thought  it  best  therefore  immediately 
to  go  and  see  Jake,  and  make  some  kind  of  an 
explanation.  So  they  went  over  immediately  to 
Jake's  stable,  and  found  the  horse  safe  in  his  stall. 
Presently  Jake  made  his  appearance. 

""Well,  your  confounded  old  horse,"  said  Joe, 
"  would  n't  stay  hitched  last  night.  He  left  us  in  the 
lurch,  and  we  had  to  come  home  afoot.  I  see  he's 
come  home,  though.  Chaise  all  right,  I  hope?" 

"Yes,  all  right,"  said  Jake. 

"  "Well,  how  much  for  the  ride,"  said  Joe,  "  seeing 
we  did  n't  ride  but  one  way?" 

"  Seeing  you  rode  pa/rt  way  back,"  said  Jake,  "  I 
shall  charge  you  fifty  dollars." 

Joe  started  and  looked  round,  but  a  knowing  leer 
in  Jake's  eye  convinced  him  it  was  no  joke.  He 
handed  Jake  the  fifty  dollars,  at  the  same  time 
placing  his  finger  emphatically  across  his  lips*,  and 


124  'WAT    DOWN    EAST. 

Jake  took  the  fifty  dollars,  whispering  in  Joe's  ear, 
"  dead  folks  tell  no  tales."  Jake  then  put  his  finger 
across  his  lips,  and  Joe  and  Kufus  bade  him  good 
morning. 


JERRY     GUTTRIDGE.  125 


CHAPTEK  YI. 

,,  E  R  R  Y     GTTTTRIDGE. 

OH,  for  "  the  good  old  days  of  Adam  and  Eve  !" 
when  vagabond  idlers  were  not ;  or  the  good  old  days 
of  the  pilgrim  fathers  of  New  England,  when  they 
were  suitably  rewarded !  That  idlers  could  not  bide 
those  days,  there  is  extant  the  following  testimony. 
In  the  early  court  records  of  that  portion  of  the  old 
Bay  State  called  the  District  of  Maine,  in  the  year 
1656,  we  have  the  following  entry  of  a  presentment 
by  a  grand  jury : — 

"  We  present  Jerry  Guttridge  for  an  idle  person, 
and  n<yt  providing  for  his  family,  and  for  giving 
reproachful  language  to  Mr.  Nat.  Frier,  when  he 
reproved  him  for  his  idleness. 

"  The  Court,  for  his  offence,  adjudges  the  delinquent 
to  have  twenty  lashes  on  his  back,  and  to  bring  secu- 
rity to  the  Court  to  be  of  better  behavior  in  providing 
for  his  family."-— [J.  True  Extract  from  the  Cvwrt 


126 


WAY     DOWN     EAST. 


The  whole  history  of  this  affair,  thus  faintly  sha- 
dowed forth  in  these  few  lines,  has  recently  come  to 
light,  and  is  now  published  for  the  benefit  of  the 
world,  as  hereafter  followeth. 


"  What  shall  we  have  for  dinner,  Mr.  Guttridge  ?" 
said  the  wife  of  Jerry  Guttridge,  in  a  sad,  desponding 
tone,  as  her  husband  came  into  their  log  hovel,  from 
a  neighboring  grog-shop,  about  twelve  o'clock  on  a 
hot  July  day. 

"  Oh,  pick  up  something,"  said  Jerry,  "  and  I  wish 
you  would  be  spry  and  get  it  ready,  for  I'm  hungry 
now,  and  I  want  to  go  back  to  the  shop ;  for  Sam  Wil- 
lard  and  Seth  Harmon  are  coming  over,  by  an'  by,  to 
swop  horses,  and  they'll  want  me  to  ride  'em.  Come, 
stir  around;  I  can't  wait." 

"We  haven't  got  anything  at  all  in  the  h&tise  to 
eat,"  said  Mrs.  Guttridge.  "  "What  shall  I  get  ?" 

"Well,  cook  something,"  said  Jerry;  "no  matter 
what  it  is." 

"  But,  Mr.  Guttridge,  we  have  n't  got  the  least  thing 
in  the  house  to  cook." 

"  Well,  we\l,j}ick up  something"  said  Jerry,  rather 
snappishly,  "  for  I'm  in  a  hurwr  " 


JERRY     GUTTRIDGE.  127 

"I  can't  make  victuals  out  of  nothing,"  said  the 
wife  ;  "  if  you'll  only  bring  me  anything  in  the  world 
into  the  house  to  cook,  I'll  cook  it.  But  I  tell  you  we 
have  n't  got  a  mouthful  of  meat  in  the  house,  nor  a 
mouthful  of  bread,  nor  a  speck  of  meal ;  and  the  last 
potatoes  we  had  in  the  house,  we  ate  for  breakfast ; 
and  you  know  we  didn't  have  more  than  half  enough 
for  breakfast,  neither." 

"Well,  what  have  you  been  doing  all  this  fore- 
noon," said  Jerry,  "  that  you  have  n't  picked  up  some- 
thing ?  Why  did  n't  you  go  over  to  Mr.  Whitman's 
and  borrow  some  meal  ?" 

"  Because,"  said  Mrs.  G-uttridge,  "  we've  borrowed 
meal  there  three  times  that  is  n't  returned  yet ;  and  I 
was  ashamed  to  go  again  till  that  was  paid.  And 
beside,  the  baby's  cried  so,  I've  had  to  'tend  him  the 
whole  forenoon,  and  could  n't  go  out." 

"  Then  you  a'n't  a-goin'  to  give  us  any  dinner,  are 
you  ?"  said  Jerry,  with  a  reproachful  tone  and  look. 
"I  pity  the  man  that  has  a  helpless,  shiftless  wife  ;  he 
has  a  hard  row  to  hoe.  What's  become  of  that  fish  I 
brought  in  yesterday  ?" 

"  Why,  Mr.  Guttridge,"  said  his  wife,  with  tears  in 
her  eyes,  "you  and  the  children  ate  that  fish  for  your 
supper  last  night.  I  never  tasted  a  morsel  of  it,  and 


128 

have  n't  tasted  anything  but  potatoe  sthese  two  days ; 
and  I'm  so  faint  now  I  can  hardly  stand." 

"Always  a-grumblin',"  said  Jerry;  "I  can't  never 
come  into  the  house  but  what  I  must  hear  a  fuss  about 
something  or  other.  "What's  this  boy  snivelling 
about?"  he  continued,  turning  to  little  Bobby,  his 
oldest  boy,  a  little  ragged,  dirty-faced,  sickly-looking 
thing,  about  six  years  old ;  at  the  same  time  giving 
the  child  a  box  on  the  ear,  which  laid  him  his  length 
on  the  floor.  "K"ow  shet  up!"  said  Jerry,  "or  I'll 
larn  you  to  be  crying  about  all  day  for  nothing." 

The  tears  rolled  afresh  down  the  cheeks  of  Mrs. 
Guttridge  ;  she  sighed  heavily  as  she  raised  the  child 
from  the  floor,  and  seated  him  on  a  bench  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  room. 

"What  is  Bob  crying  about?"  said  Jerry,  fretfully. 

"  Why,  Mr.  Guttridge,"  said  his  wife,  sinking  upon 
the  bench  beside  her  little  boy,  and  wiping  the  tears 
with  her  apron,  "  the  poor  child  has  been  crying  for  a 
piece  of  bread  these  two  hours.  He's  eat  nothing  to- 
day but  one  potatoe,  and  I  s'pose  the  poor  thing  is 
half  starved." 

At  this  moment  their  neighbor,  Mr.  Nat.  Frier,  a 
substantial  farmer,  and  a  worthy  man,  made  his  ap- 
pearance at  the  door ;  and  as  it  was  wide  open,  he 


JERRY     GUTTRIDGE.  129 

walked  in  and  took  a  seat.  He  knew  the  destitute 
condition  of  Guttridge's  family,  and  had  often  relieved 
their  distresses.  His  visit  at  the  present  time  was 
partly  an  errand  of  charity ;  for,  being  in  want  of 
some  extra  labor  in  his  haying  field  that  afternoon, 
and  knowing  that  Jerry  was  doing  nothing,  while  his 
family  was  starving,  he  thought  he  would  endeavor  tc 
get  him  to  work  for  him,  and  pay  him  in  provisions. 

Jerry  seated  himself  rather  sullenly  on  a  broken 
backed  chair,  the  only  sound  one  in  the  house  being 
occupied  by  Mr.  Frier,  toward  whom  he  cast  sundry 
grulff  looks  and  surly  glances.  The  truth  was,  Jerry 
had  not  received  the  visits  of  his  neighbors,  of  late 
years,  with  a  very  gracious  welcome.  He  regarded 
them  rather  as  spies,  who  came  to  search  out  the  naked- 
ness of  the  land,  than  as  neighborly  visitors,  calling 
to  exchange  friendly  salutations.  He  said  not  a  word ; 
and  the  first  address  of  Mr.  Frier  was  to  little  Bobby. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  little  Bobby?"  said  he,  in 
a  gentle  tone ;  "  come,  my  little  fellow,  come  here 
and  tell  me  what's  the  matter." 

"  Go,  run,  Bobby ;  go  and  see  Mr.  Frier,"  said  the 
mother,  slightly  pushing  him  forward  with  her  hand. 

The  boy,  with  one  finger  in  his  mouth,  and  the  tears 

still  rolling  over  his  dirty  fa^e,  edged  along  si d«« wise 

6* 


130 


WAY     DOWN     EAST. 


up  to  Mr.  Frier,  who  took  him  in  his  lap,  and  asked 
him  again  what  was  the  matter. 

"  I  want  a  piece  of  bread !';  said  Bobby. 

"  And  won't  your  mother  give  you  some  ?"  said 
Mr.  Frier,  tenderly. 

"  She  ha'n't  got  none,"  replied  Bobby,  "  nor  'taters 
too."  Mrs.  Guttridge's  tears  told  the  rest  of  the 
story.  The  worthy  farmer  knew  they  were  entirely 
out  of  provisions  again,  and  he  forbore  to  ask  any 
further  questions ;  but  told  Bobby  if  he  would  go 
over  to  his  house,  he  would  give  him  something  to 
eat.  Then  turning  to  Jerry,  said  he : — 

"  Neighbor  Guttridge,  I've  got  four  tons  of  hay 
down,  that  needs  to  go  in  this  afternoon,  for  it  looks 
as  if  we  should  have  rain  to-morrow  ;  and  I've  come 
over  to  see  if  I  can  get  you  to  go  and  help  me.  If 
you'll  go  this  afternoon,  and  assist  me  tc  get  it  in,  I'll 
give  you  a  bushel  of  meal,  or  a  half  bushel  of  meal 
and  a  bushel  of  potatoes,  and  two  pounds  of 
pork." 

"  I  can't  go,"  said  Jerry,  "  I've  got  something  else 
to  do." 

"  Oh,  well,"  said  Mr  Frier,  "  if  you've  got  anything 
else  to  do  that  will  be  more  profitable,  I'm  glad  of  it, 
for  there's  enough  hands  that  I  can  get ;  only  I 


OEKRY     GUTTRIDGE.  131 

thought  you  might  like  to  go,  bein'  you  was  scant  of 
provisions." 

"  Do  pray  go,  Mr.  Guttridge  !"  said  his  wife,  with 
a  beseeching  look,  "  for  you  are  only  going  over  to 
the  shop  to  ride  them  horses,  and  that  won't  do  no 
good ;  you'll  only  spend  all  the  afternoon  for  nothin', 
and  then  we  shall  have  to  go  to  bed  without  our  sup- 
per, again.  Do  pray  go,  Mr.  Guttridge,  do  !" 

"  I  wish  you  would  hold  your  everlasting  clack  ;" 
said  Jerry ;  "  you  are  always  full  of  complainings. 
It's  got  to  be  a  fine  time  of  day,  if  the  women  are 
a-goin'  to  rule  the  roast.  I  shall  go  over  and  ride  them 
horses,  and  it's  no  business  to  you  nor  nobody  else  ; 
and  if  you  are  too  lazy  to  get  your  own  supper,  you 
may  go  without  it ;  that's  all  I've  got  to  say." 

With  that  he  aimed  for  the  door,  when  Mr.  Frier 
addressed  him  as  follows  : — 

"  ISTow  I  must  say,  neighbor  Guttridge,  if  you  are 
going  to  spend  the  afternoon  over  to  the  shop,  to  ride 
horses  for  them  jockeys,  and  leave  your  family  with- 
out provisions,  when  you  have  a  good  chance  to  'am 
enough  this  afternoon  to  last  them  nigh  about  a  week, 
I  must  say,  neighbor  Guttridge,  that  I  think  you  are 
not  ir.  the  way  of  your  duty." 

Upon  thig  Jerry  whirled  round,  and  looked  Mr 


132 

Frier  full  in  the  face,  "  grinning  horribly  a  ghastly 
smile,"  and  said-he, 

"  You  old,  miserable,  dirty,  meddling  vagabond  ! 
you  are  a  scoundrel  and  a  scape-gallows,  and  an 
infernal  small  piece  of  a  man,  I  think  !  I've  as  good 
a  mind  to  kick  you  out  of  doors,  as  ever  I  had  to  eat ! 
Who  made  you  a  master  over  me,  to  be  telling  me 
what's  my  duty  ?  You  better  go  home  and  take  care 
of  your  own  brats,  and  let  your  neighbors'  alone  !" 

Mr.  Frier  sat  and  looked  Jerry  calmly  in  the  face, 
without  uttering  a  syllable  ;  while  he,  having  blown 
his  blast,  marched  out  of  doors,  and  steered  directly 
for  the  grog-shop,  leaving  his  wife  to  "  pick  up  some- 
thing," if  she  could,  to  keep  herself  and  children  from 
absolute  starvation. 

Mr.  Frier  was  a  benevolent  man  and  a  Christian, 
and  in  the  true  spirit  of  Christianity  he  always  sought 
to  relieve  distress  wherever  he  found  it.  He  was 
endowed,  too,  with  a  good  share  of  plain  common 
sense,  and  knew  something  of  human  nature  ;  and  as 
he  was  well  aware  that  Mrs.  Guttridge  really  loved 
her  husband,  notwithstanding  his  idle  habits,  and 
cold,  brutal  treatment  to  his  family,  he  forebore  to 
remark  upon  the  scene  which  had  just  passed  ;  but 
telling  the  afflicted  woman  he  would  send  her  some- 


JERRY     GTTTTRIDGE.  133 

thing  to  eat,  lie  took  little  Bobby  by  the  hand,  and 
led  him  home.  A  plate  of  victuals  was  set  before  the 
child,  who  devoured  it  with  a  greediness  that  was 
piteous  to  behold. 

"  Poor  cre'tur !"  said  Mrs.  Frier,  "  why,  he's  half 
starved !  Betsey,  bring  him  a  dish  of  bread  and 
milk;  that  will  set  the  best  on  his  poor,  empty, 
starved  stomach." 

Betsey  ran  and  got  the  bowl  of  bread  and  milk,  and 
little  Bobby's  hand  soon  began  to  move  from  the  dish 
to  his  mouth,  with  a  motion  as  steady  and  rapid  as 
the  pendulum  of  a  clock.  The  whole  family  stood 
and  looked  on,  with  pity  and  surprise,  until  he  had 
finished  his  meal,  or  rather  until  he  had  eaten  as 
much  as  they  dared  allow  him  to  eat  at  once ;  for 
although  he  had  devoured  a  large  plate  of  meat  and 
vegetables,  and  two  dishes  of  bread  and  milk,  his 
appetite  seemed  as  ravenous  as  when  he  first  began  ; 
and  he  still,  like  the  memorable  Oliver  Twist,  "  asked 
for  more." 

While  Bobby  had  been  eating,  Mr.  Frier  had  been 
relating  to  his  family  the  events  which  had  occurred  at 
Guttridge's  house,  and  the  starving  condition  of  the 
inmates;  and  it  was  at  once  agreed  that  something 
Bhould  be  sent  ;ver  immediately ;  for  they  all  said 


134: 

"  Mrs.  Guttridge  was  a  clever  woman,  and  it  was  a 
shame  that  she  should  be  left  to  suffer  so." 

Accordingly,  a  basket  was  filled  with  bread,  a  jug 
of  milk,  and  some  meat  and  vegetables,  ready  cooked, 
which  had  been  left  from  their  dinner ;  and  Betsey 
ran  and  brought  a  pie,  made  from  their  last  year's 
dried  pumpkins,  and  asked  her  mother  if  she  might 
not  put  that  in,  "  so  the  poor  starving  cre'turs  might 
have  a  little  taste  of  something  that  was  good." 

"  Yes,"  said  her  mother,  "  and  put  in  a  bit  of 
cheese  with  it ;  I  don't  think  we  shall  be  any  the 
poorer  for  it ;  for  '  he  that  giveth  to  the  poor  lendeth 
to  the  Lord.'  " 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  Mr.  Frier,  "  and  I  guess  you  may 
as  well  put  in  a  little  dried  pumpkin  ;  she  can  stew  it 
up  for  the  little  ones,  and  it'll  be  good  for  'em. 
We've  got  a  plenty  of  green  stuff  a-growin',  to  last 
till  pumpkins  come  again."  So  a  quantity  of  dried 
pumpkin  was  also  packed  in  the  basket,  and  the  pie 
laid  on  the  top,  and  George  was  despatched,  in  com- 
pany with  little  Bobby,  to  carry  it  over. 

Mr.  Frier's  benevolent  feelings  had  become  highly 
excited.  He  forgot  his  four  tons  of  hay,  and  sat 
down  to  consult  with  his  wife  about  what  could  be 
done  for  the  Guttridge  family.  Something  must  be 


JERRY     GTJTTRIDGE.  13» 

done  soon ;  he  was  not  able  to  support  them  all  the 
time ;  and  if  they  were  left  alone  much  longer  they 
would  starve.  He  told  his  wife  he  "  had  a  good  mind 
to  go  and  enter  a  complaint  to  the  grand  jury  agin' 
Jerry,  for  a  lazy,  idle  person,  that  did  n't  provide  for 
his  family.  The  court  sets  at  Saco  to-morrow,  and 
don't  you  think,  wife,  I  had  better  go  and  do  it  ?" 

His  wife  thought  he  had  better  go  over  first  and 
talk  with  Mrs.  Guttridge  about  it ;  and  if  she  was 
willing  he  had  better  do  it.  Mr.  Frier  said,  he 
"  could  go  over  and  talk  with  her,  but  he  did  n't  think 
it  would  be  the  least  use,  for  she  loved  Jerry,  ugly  as 
he  was,  and  he  did  n't  believe  she  would  be  willing  to 
have  him  punished  by  the  court.'7 

However,  after  due  consultation,  he  concluded  to 
go  over  and  have  a  talk  with  Mrs.  Guttridge  about 
the  matter.  Accordingly,  he  took  his  hat  and  walked 
over.  He  found  the  door  open,  as  usual,  and  walked 
in  without  ceremony.  Here  he  beheld  the  whole 
family,  including  Jerry  himself,  seated  at  their  little 
pine  table,  doing  ample  justice  to  their  basket  of  pro- 
visions which  he  had  just  before  sent  them.  He 
observed  the  pie  had  been  cut  into  pieces,  and  one 
half  of  it,  and  he  thought  rather  the  largest  half,  was 
laid  on  Jerry's  plate,  the  rest  being  cut  up  into  small 


136 

bits,  and  divided  among  the  children.  Mrs.  Gut- 
tridge  had  reserved  none  to  herself,  except  a  small 
spoonful  of  the  soft  part  with  which  she  was  trying 
to  feed  the  baby.  The  other  eatables  seemed  to  be 
distributed  very  much  in  the  same  proportion. 

Mr.  Frier  was  a  cool,  considerate  man,  whose  pas- 
sions were  always  under  the  most  perfect  control; 
but  he  always  confessed,  for  years  afterwards,  "  that 
for  a  minute  or  two,  he  thought  he  felt  a  little  some- 
thing like  anger  rising  up  in  his  stomach !" 

He  sat  and  looked  on  until  they  had  finished  their 
meal,  and  Jerry  had  eaten  bread,  and  meat,  and 
vegetables  enough  for  two  common  men's  dinner,  and 
swallowed  his  half  of  the  pie,  and  a  large  slice  of 
cheese  by  way  of  dessert ;  and  then  rose,  took  his 
hat,  and  without  saying  a  word,  marched  deliberately 
out  of  the  house,  directing  his  course  again  to  the 
grog-shop. 

Mr.  Frier  now  broached  the  subject  of  his  errand 
to  Mrs.  Guttridge.  He  told  her  the  neighbors  could 
not  afford  to  support  her  family  mucjh  longer,  and 
unless  her  husband  went  to  work  he  did  n't  see  but 
they  would  have  to  starve. 

Mrs.  Guttridge  began  to  cry.  She  said  "  she  did  n't 
know  what  they  should  do ;  she  had  talked  as  long  as 


JEKRY     GUTTRIDGE.  137 

talking  would  do  any  good ;  but  somehow  Mr.  Gut- 
tridge  did  n't  seem  to  love  work.  She  believed  it 
was  n't  his  natur'  to  work." 

"Well,  Mrs.  Guttridge,  do  you  believe  the  Scrip- 
tures ?"  said  Mr.  Frier,  solemnly. 

"  Fm  sure  I  do,"  said  Mrs.  Guttridge  ;  "  I  believe 
all  there  is  in  the  Bible." 

"  And  don't  you  know,"  said  Mr.  Frier,  "  the  Bible 
says,  c  He  that  will  not  work,  neither  shall  he  eat.' " 

"  I  know  there's  something  in  the  Bible  like  that," 
said  Mrs.  Guttridge,  with  a  very  serious  look. 

"Then  do  you  think  it  right,"  said  Mr.  Frier, 
"  when  your  neighbors  send  you  in  a  basket  of  provi- 
sions, do  you  think  it  right  that  Mr.  Guttridge,  who 
won't  work  and  'arn  a  mouthful  himself,  should  sit 
down  and  eat  more  than  all  the  rest  of  you,  and  pick 
out  the  best  part  of  it,  too  ?" 

"  Well,  I  don't  suppose  it's  right,"  said  Mrs.  Gut- 
tridge, thoughtfully ;  "  but  somehow,  Mr.  Guttridge  is 
so  hearty,  it  seems  as  if  he  would  faint  away,  if  he 
didn  't  have  more  than  the  rest  of  us  to  eat." 

"Well,  are  you  willing  to  go  on  in  this  way?"  con* 
tinued  Mr.  Frier,  "  in  open  violation  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  keep  yourself  and  children  every  day  in  danger 
of  starving  ?" 


133 

"What  can  1  do,  Mr.  Frier?"  said  Mrs.  Guttridge 
bursting  into  a  flood  of  tears ;  "  I've  talked,  and  it's 
no  use ;  Mr.  Guttridge,  won't  work ;  it  don't  seem  to 
be  in  him.     Maybe  if  you  should  talk  to  him,  Mr. 
Frier,  he  might  do  better." 

"!Nb,  that  would  be  no  use,"  said  Mr.  Frier. 
"  When  I  was  over  here  before,  you  see  how  he  took 
it,  jest  because  I  spoke  to  him  about  going  over  to  tho 
shop,  when  he  ought  to  be  to  work,  to  get  something 
for  his  family  to  eat.  You  see  how  mad  he  was, 
how  provoking  he  talked  to  me.  It's  no  use  for  me 
to  say  anything  to  him  ;  but  I  think,  Mrs.  Guttridge, 
if  somebody  should  complain  to  the  Grand  Jury 
about  him,  the  Court  would  make  him  go  to  work. 
And  if  you  are  willing  for  it,  I  think  I  should  feel  it 
my  duty  to  go  and  complain  of  him." 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  but  it  would  be  best,"  said 
Mrs.  Guttridge,  "  and  if  you  think  it  would  make  him 
go  to  work,  I'm  willing  you  should.  When  will  the 
Court  sit  ?" 

"  To-morrow,"  said  Mr.  Frier ;  "  and  I'll  give  up 
all  other  business,  and  go  and  attend  to  it." 

"But  what  will  the  Court  do  to  him,  Mr.  Frier?" 
asked  Mrs.  Guttridge. 

«  Well,  I  don't  know,"  said  Mr.  Frier,  "  but  I  ex- 


JERKY     GTDTTEIDGE. 

pect  they'll  punish  him ;  and  I  know  they'll  make  him 
go  to  work." 

"  Punish  him  !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Guttridge,  with  a 
troubled  air.  "  Seems  to  me  I  don't  want  to  have  him 
punished.  But  do  you  think,  Mr.  Frier,  they  will 
hurt  him  any  ?" 

"Well,  I  think  it's  likely,"  said  Mr.  Frier,  " they 
will  hurt  him  some ;  but  you  must  remember,  Mrs. 
Guttridge,  it  is  better  once  to  smart  than  always  to 
ache.  Remember,  too,  you'll  be  out  of  provisions 
again  by  to-morrow.  Your  neighbors  can't  support 
your* family  all  the  time;  and  if  your  husband  don't 
go  to  work,  you'll  be  starving  again." 

"Oh  dear — well,  I  don't  know!"  said  Mrs.  Gut- 
fcridge,  with  tears  in  her  eyes.  "You  may  do  jest  as 
you  think  best  about  it,  Mr.  Frier ;  that  is,  if  you 
don't  think  they'll  hurt  him." 

Mr.  Frier  returned  home  ;  but  the  afternoon  was  so 
far  spent  that  he  was  able  to  get  in  only  one  ton  of 
his  hay,  leaving  the  other  three  tons  out,  to  take  the 
chance  of  the  weather.  He  and  his  wife  spent  the 
evening  in  discussing  what  course  was  best  to  pursue 
with  regard  to  the  complaint  against  Mr.  Guttridge ; 
but,  notwithstanding  his  wife  was  decidedly  in  favor 
of  his  going  the  next  morning  and  entering  the  conj 


140 

plaint,  since  Mrs.  Guttridge  had  consented,  yet  Mr. 
Frier  was  undecided.  He  did  not  like  to  do  it ;  Mr. 
Guttridge  was  a  neighbor,  and  it  was  an  unpleasant 
business.  But  when  he  arose  the  next  morning,  looked 
out,  and  beheld  his  three  tons  of  hay  drenched  with 
a  heavy  rain,  and  a  prospect  of  a  continued  storm,  he 
was  not  long  in  making  up  his  mind. 

"  Here,"  said  he,  "  I  spent  a  good  part  01  the  day, 
yesterday,  in  looking  after  Guttridge's  family,  to  keep 
them  from  starving;  and  now,  by  this  means,  I've 
nigh  about  as  good  as  lost  three  tons  of  hay.  I 
don't  think  it's  my  duty  to  put  up  with  it  any 
longer." 

Accordingly,  as  soon  as  breakfast  was  over,  Mr. 
Frier  was  out,  spattering  along  in  the  mud  and  rain, 
with  his  old  great-coat  thrown  over  his  shoulders,  tho 
sleeves  napping  loosely  down  by  his  side,  and  his 
drooping  hat  twisted  awry,  wending  his  way  to  Court, 
to  appear  before  the  Grand  Jury. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Frier,  what  do  you  want  ?"  asked  the 
foreman,  as  the  complainant  entered  the  room. 

"I  come  to  complain  of  Jerry  Guttridge  to  the 
Grand  Jury,"  replied  Mr.  Frier,  taking  off  his  haiv 
and  shaking  the  rain  from  it. 

"  Why,  what  has  Jerry  Guttridge  done  ?"  said  the 


JERKY     GUTTRIDGE. 

foreman.  "  I  didn't  think  he  had  life  enough  to  do 
anything  worth  complaining  of  to  the  Grand 
Jury." 

"  It's  because  he  has  n't  got  life  enough  to  do  any- 
thing," said  Mr.  Frier,  "  that  I've  come  to  complain 
of  him.  The  fact  is,  Mr.  Foreman,  he's  a  lazy,  idle 
fellow,  and  won't  work,  nor  provide  nothin'  for  his 
family  to  eat;  and  they've  been  half  starving  this 
long  time;  and  the  neighbors  have  had  to  keep 
sending  in  something  all  the  time,  to  keep  'em 
alive." 

"  But,"  said  the  foreman, "  Jerry's  a  peaceable  kind 
of  a  chap,  Mr.  Frier ;  has  anybody  ever  talked  to  him 
about  it  in  a  neighborly  way,  and  advised  him  to  do 
differently  ?  And  maybe  he  has  no  chance  to  work 
where  he  could  get  anything  for  it." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say,"  replied  Mr.  Frier,  "  that  he's 
been  talked  to  a  great  deal,  and  it  don't  do  no  good  ; 
and  I  tried  hard  to  get  him  to  work  for  mo  yesterday 
afternoon,  and  offered  to  give  him  victuals  enough  to 
last  his  family  'most  a  week,  but  I  couldn't  get  him 
t< ,  and  he  went  off  to  the  grog-shop  to  see  some 
jockeys  swop  horses.  And  when  I  told  him,  calmly, 
I  lid  n't  think  he  was  in  the  way  of  his  duty,  he  flew 
to  a  passion,  and  called  me  an  old,  miserable,  dirty 


42  VAYDOW^EAST. 

i 

meddling  vagabond,  and  a  scoundrel,  and  a  scape- 
gallows,  and  an  infernal  small  piece  of  a  man  1" 

^  Abominable  !"  exclaimed  one  of  the  jury  ;  "  who 
ever  heard  of  such  outrageous  conduct  ?" 

"  What  a  vile,  blasphemous  wretch !"  exclaimed 
another ;  "  I  shouldn't  a  wondered  if  he'd  a  fell  dead 
on  the  spot." 

The  foreman  asked  Mr.  Frier  if  Jerry  had  "  used 
them  very  words." 

"  Exactly  them  words,  every  one  of  'em,"  said  Mr. 
Frier. 

"  Well,"  said  the  foreman,  "  then  there  is  no  more 
to  be  said.  Jerry  certainly  deserves  to  be  indicted, 
if  anybody  in  this  world  ever  did." 

Accordingly  the  indictment  was  drawn  up,  a  war- 
rant was  issued,  and  the  next  day  Jerry  was  brought 
before  the  Court  to  answer  to  the  charges  preferred 
against  him.  Mrs.  Sally  Guttridge  and  Mr.  Nat. 
Frier  were  summoned  as  witnesses.  When  the 
honorable  Court  was  ready  to  hear  the  case,  the  clerk 
called  Jerry  Guttridge,  and  bade  him  to  hearken  to 
an  indictment  found  against  him  by  the  grand  inquest 
for  the  District  of  Maine,  now  sitting  at  Saco,  in  the 
words  following,  viz : — 

"  We  present  Jerry  Guttridge  for  an  idle  person, 


JEKRT     GUTT^IDGE.  14:3 

and  not  providing  for  his  family;  and  giving 
reproachful  language  to  Mr.  Nat.  Frier,  when  he 
reproved  him  for  his  idleness."  "Jerry  Guttridge, 
what  say  you  to  this  indictment?  Are  you  guilty 
thereof,  or  not  guilty  ?" 

"  Not  guilty,"  said  Jerry,  "  and  here's  my  wife  can 
tell  you  the  same  any  day.  Sally,  have  n't  I  always 
provided  for  my  family  ?" 

"  Why,  yes,"  said  Mrs.  Guttridge,  "  I  don't  know 
but  you  have  as  well  as  " 

"  Stop,  stop  !"  said  the  Judge,  looking  down  over 
the  top  of  his  spectacles  at  the  witness ;  "  stop,  Mrs. 
Guttridge ;  you  must  not  answer  questions  until  you 
have  been  sworn." 

The  Court  then  directed  the  clerk  to  swear  the  wit- 
nesses; whereupon,  he  called  Nat.  Frier  and  Sally 
Gruttridge  to  come  forward,  and  hold  up  their  right 
nands.  Mr.  Frier  advanced,  with  -a  ready,  honest  air, 
and  held  up  his  hand.  Mrs.  Guttridge  lingered  a 
little  behind;  but  when  at  last  she  faltered  along, 
with  feeble  and  hesitating  step,  and  held  up  her  thin, 
trembling  hand,  and  raised  her  pale  blue  eyes,  half 
swimming  in  tears,  towards  the  Court,  and  exhibited 
her  care-worn  features,  which,  though  sun-burned, 
were  pale  and  sickly,  the  Judge  had  in  his  own  inind 


144 

more  than  half  decided  the  case  against  Jerry.  .Che 
witnesses  having  been  sworn,  Mrs.  Guttridge  was 
called  to  the  stand. 

"  Now,  Mrs.  Guttridge,"  said  the  Judge,  "  you  are 
not  obliged  to  testify  against  your  husband  any  more 
than  you  choose  ;  your  testimony  must  be  voluntary. 
The  Court  will  ask  you  questions  touching  the  case, 
and  you  may  answer  them  or  not,  as  you  think  best. 
And,  in  the  first  place,  I  will  ask  you  whether  your 
husband  neglects  to  provide  for  the  necessary  wants 
of  his  family;  and  whether  you  do,  or  do  not,  have  com- 
fortable food  and  clothing  for  yourself  and  children  ?" 

"  "Well,  we  go  pretty  hungry  a  good  deal  of  the 
time,"  said  Mrs.  Guttridge,  trembling ;  "  but  I  don't 
know  but  Mr.  Guttridge  does  the  best  he  can  about 
it.  There  don't  seem  to  be  any  victuals  that  he  can 
get,  a  good  deal  of  the  time." 

"  "Well,  is  he,  or  is  he  not,  in  the  habit  of  spending 
his  time  idly  when  he  might  be  at  work,  and  earning 
riomething  for  his  family  to  live  upon  ?" 

"  Why,  as  to  that,"  replied  the  witness,  "  Mr.  Gut- 
tridge don't  work  much ;  but  I  don't  know  as  he  can 
help  it ;  it  does  n't  seem  to  be  his  natur'  to  work. 
Somehow,  he  don't  seem  to  be  made  like  other  folks ; 
for  if  he  tries  ever  so  much,  he  can't  never  work  but 


JERRY     GUTTRIDGE.  145 

a  few  minutes  at  a  time ;  the  natur'  don't  seem  to  be 
in  him." 

*  "Well,  well,''  said  the  Judge,  casting  a  dignified 
and  judicial  gla:ice  at  the  culprit,  who  stood  with  his 
mouth  wide  opei ,  and  eyes  fixed  on  the  Court  with  an 
intentness  that  s.  lowed  he  began  to  take  some  interest 
in  the  matter ;  "  well,  well,  perhaps  the  Court  will  be 
able  ioput  the  r  atur'  in  him." 

Mrs.  Guttridg3  was  directed  to  step  aside,  and  Mr. 
Nat.  Frier  was  called  to  the  stand.  His  testimony 
was  very  much  to  the  point ;  clear  and  conclusive. 
But  as  the  reade  ?  is  already  in  possession  of  the  sub- 
stance of  it,  it  is  unnecessary  to  recapitulate  it. 
Suffice  it  to  say,  that  when  he  was  called  upon  to 
repeat  the  repriachful  language  which  Jerry  had 
bestowed  upon  tie  witness,  there  was  much  shudder- 
ing, and  an  aw  nil  rolling  of  eyes,  throughout  the 
court  room.  Evan  the  prisoner's  face  kindled  almost 
up  to  a  blaze,  an  1  thick  drops  of  sweat  were  seen  to 
start  from  his  forehead.  The  Judge,  to  be  sure, 
letained  a  dignif  ed  self-possession,  and  settling  back 
in  his  chair,  said  it  was  not  necessary  to  question  the 
witness  any  flirt)  ler ;  the  case  was  clearly  made  out ; 
Jerry  Guttridge  was  unquestionably  guilty  of  the 
charges  preferred  against  hh 


146  WAY     DOWN     EAST. 

The  Court,  out  of  delicacy  toward  the  feelings  of 
his  wife,  refrained  from  pronouncing  sentence  until 
she  had  retired,  which  she  did  on  an  intimation  being 
given  her  that  the  case  was  closed,  and  she  could 
return  home.  Jerry  was  then  called  and  ordered  to 
hearken  to  his  sentence,  as  the  Court  had  recorded  it. 

Jerry  stood  up  and  faced  the  Court,  with  fixed  eyes 
and  gaping  mouth,  and  the  clerk  repeated  as  fol- 
lows : — 

"  Jerry  Guttridge  !  you  have  been  found  guilty  of 
being  an  idle  and  lazy  person,  and  not  providing  for 
your  family,  and  giving  reproachful  language  to  Mr. 
Nat.  Frier,  when  he  reproved  you  for  your  idleness. 
The  Court  orders  that  you  receive  twenty  smart  lashes, 
with  the  cat-o'-nine-tails,  upon  your  naked  back,  and 
that  this  sentence  be  executed  forthwith,  by  the  con 
stables,  at  the  whipping-post  in  the  yard  adjoining 
the  court-house." 

Jerry  dropped  his  head,  and  his  face  assumed  divers 
deep  colors,  sometimes  red,  and  sometimes  shading 
upon  the  blue.  He  tried  to  glance  round  upon  the 
assembled  multitude,  but  his  look  was  very  sheepish ; 
and,  unable  to  stand  the  gaze  of  the  hundreds  of  eyes 
that  were  upon  him,  he  settled  back  on  a  bench,  lean- 
ed his  head  on  his  hand,  and  looked  steadily  upon  the 


JEKET     GUTTKIDGE.  14:7 

floor.  The  constables  having  been  directed  by  the 
Court  to  proceed  forthwith  to  execute  the  sentence, 
they  led  him  out  into  the  yard,  put  his  arms  round 
the  whipping-post,  and  tied  his  hands  together.  He 
submitted  without  resistance ;  but  when  they  com- 
menced tying  his  hands  round  the  post,  he  began  to 
cry  and  beg,  and  promised  better  fashions  if  they 
would  only  let  him  go  this  time.  But  the  constables 
told  him  it  was  too  late  now ;  the  sentence  of  the  Court 
had  been  passed,  and  the  punishment  must  be  inflict- 
ed. The  whole  throng  of  spectators  had  issued  from 
the  court-house,  and  stood  round  in  a  large  ring,  to 
see  the  sentence  enforced.  The  Judge  himself  had 
stepped  to  a  side  window,  which  commanded  a  view 
of  the  yard,  and  stood  peering  solemnly  through  his 
spectacles  to  see  that  the  ceremony  was  duly  perform- 
ed. All  things  being  in  readiness,  the  stoutest  con- 
stable took  the  cat-o'-nine-tails,  and  laid  the  blows 
heavily  across  the  naked  back  of  the  victim.  Nearly 
every  blow  brought  blood,,  and  as  they  successively 
fell,  Jerry  jumped  and  screamed,  so  that  he  might 
have  been  heard  well-nigh  a  mile.  When  the  twenty 
blows  were  counted,  and  the  ceremony  was  ended,  he 
was  loosed  from  his  confinement,  and  told  that  he 
might  go.  He  put  on  his  garments,  with  a  sullen  but 


148  'w^.r    DOWN    EAST. 


subdued  air,  and  without  stopping  to  pay  his  respects 
to  the  Court,  or  even  to  bid  any  one  good-by,  he 
straightened  for  home  as  fast  as  he  could  go. 

Mrs.  Guttridge  met  him  at  the  door,  with  a  kind 
and  piteous  look,  and  asked  him  if  they  hurt  him. 
He  made  no  reply,  but  pushed  along  into  the*  house. 
There  he  found  the  table  set,  and  well  supplied,  for 
dinner  ;  for  Mrs.  Guttridge,  partly  through  the  kind- 
ness of  Mr.  Frier,  and  partly  from  her  own  exertions, 
had  managed  to  "  pick  up  something  "  that  served  to 
make  quite  a  comfortable  meal.  Jerry  ate  his  dinner 
in  silence,  but  his  wife  thought  he  manifested  more 
tenderness  and  less  selfishness  than  she  had  known 
him  to  exhibit  for  several  years  ;  for,  instead  of  appro- 
priating the  most  and  the  best  of  the  food  to  himself, 
he  several  times  placed  fair  proportions  of  it  upon  the 
plates  of  his  wife  and  each  of  the  children. 

The  next  morning,  before  the  sun  had  dried  the  dew 
from  the  grass,  whoever  passed  the  haying  field  of 
Mr.  !N"at  Frier  might  have  beheld  Jerry  Guttridge 
busily  at  work,  shaking  out  the  wet  hay  to  the  sun  ; 
and  for  a  month  afterward  the  passer-by  might  have 
seen  him  every  day,  early  and  late,  in  that  and  the 
adjoining  fields,  a  perfect  pattern  of  industry. 

A  change  soon  became  perceptible  in  the  condition 


JERRY     GI3TTRIDGE.  149 

and  circumstances  of  his  family.  His  house  began  to 
wear  more  of  an  air  of  comfort,  outside  and  in.  TTis 
wife  improved  in  health  and  spirits,  and  little  Bobby 
became  a  fat,  hearty  boy,  and  grew  like  a  pumpkin. 
And  years  afterward  Mrs.  Guttridge  was  heard  to  say 
that,  "  somehow,  ever  since  that  'ere  trial,  Mr.  Gut- 
tridge's  natur5  seemed  to  be  entirely  changed." 


150  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 


CHAPTER  YIL 

SEATING    THE    PAKISH. 

"  Order,  is  Heaven's  first  law ;  and  this  confessed, 
Some  are,  and  must  be,  greater  than  the  rest.*' 

So  thought  the  good  people  of  the  old  town  of 
Brookhaven,  about  a  hundred  and  forty  years  ago, 
when  they  enacted  the  law  for  for  seating  the  parish 
at  church.  Do  any  of  our  distant  readers  want  infor- 
mation as  to  the  locality  and  geography  of  Brookhaven  ? 
We  may  as  well  premise  in  the  outset,  that  it  is  on 
Long  island,  some  sixty  miles  or  so  from  the  city  of 
New  York,  and  is  the  largest  town  in  territory  in 
Suffolk  County,  containing  more  than  a  hundred 
thousand  acres,  and  stretching  across  the  whole  width 
of  the  island.  It  contains  seven  or  eight  thousand 
inhabitants,  who  are  distributed  in  several  villages 
along  the  shores  of  the  Sound  and  the  Atlantic,  while  the 
middle  portions  of  the  town  still  remain  covered  with 
pine  forests,  abounding  with  deer  and  other  wild  game. 

The  early  settlers  of  this  part  of  Long  Island  were 


SEATING     THE     PARISH.  151 

mostly  from  New  England,  and  the  inhabitants  still 
retain  much  of  the  primitive  Puritan  character  of 
their  forefathers.  A  company  from  Eoston  and  its 
vicinity,  commenced  a  settlement  in  Brookhaven  as 
early  as  sixteen  hundred  and  fifty-five ;  and  in  ten 
years  the  settlement  had  increased  so  much,  that  they 
called  a  minister  of  the  gospel  to  come  and  reside 
among  them.  Their  choice  of  pastor  was,  of  course, 
from  the  good  old  Pilgrim  stock ;  for  where  else  could 
they  go  ?  There  was  no  other  race  among  men  or 
under  heaven,  according  to  their  ideas,  "  whereby  they 
could  be  saved."  Accordingly,  they  settled  as  their  first 
minister,  Rev.  Nathan  Brewster,  a  grandson  of  Elder 
William  Brewster,  who  came  over  in  the  May  Flower. 

Thus  having  proved  the  origin  of  the  good  people 
of  Brookhaven,  it  follows  as  a  matter  of  course,  that 
they  were  not  only  a  pious  people,  a  church-going 
pedple,  but  also  great  lovers  of  order  and  decorum* 
Happily,  so  important  a  conclusion  does  not  rest  for 
its  authority  on  mere  inference  alone ;  it  is  sustained 
by  ample  and  positive  proof  in  the  shape  of  duly 
arthenticated  records. 

Like  most  new  and  remote  settlements,  the  town 
might,  for  some  time,  be  regarded  as  a  sort  of  inde- 
peoident  democracy.  The  people  met  together  in  a 


152  '  W  A  ^    DOWN     E  A  8  1  . 

body,  and  adopted  rules,  and  made  1  iws,  and  elected 
magistrates  and  other  officers,  to  see  t  le  laws  properly 
executed.  Their  attendance  at  chur  h,  also,  was,  for 
many  years,  conducted  very  much  01  the  democratic 
principle.  Indeed  this  is  most  usua  ly  the  case  with 
churches  in  all  new  settlements.  Th )  meeting-house, 
as  well  as  the  nation,  experiences  its  revolutions,  and 
in  the  progress  of  society,  passes  throi  igh  all  the  regu- 
lar forms  of  government. 

It  has  its  period  of  pure  democracy  ;  when  the  tem- 
ple is  a  humble,  unfinished  structure,  with  open  doors 
and  windows,  and  the  people  come  aD  I  go  at  all  times 
during  the  hours  of  worship,  as  best  suits  their  plea- 
sure. Then  it  is,  that  the  congrega  ion  sit  on  stout 
longitudinal  planks  supported  by  bio  >ks  of  wood,  and 
on  transverse  boards  resting  on  the  i  foresaid  planks. 
These  planks  and  boards  being  commoi  property,  vested 
in  the  body  politic,  the  respective  seats,  on  the  Sab- 
bath, are  seized  and  rightfully  held,  ike  a  newly  dis- 
covered country,  by  the  first  occupant  ;  thus  affording 
a  practical  illustration  at  the  same  tii  le  both  of  their 
political  and  religious  faith,  viz. : — t!  at  the  people  of 
the  parish  are  all  equal,  and  that  Go  1  is  no  respecter 
of  persons. 

In  progress  of  time,  the  meeting-house  glides  natu- 


SEATING     THE     PAEISH.  15ft 

rally  into  the  aristocratic  form  of  government.  "Wealth 
has  begun  to  make  distinctions  in  society.  A  better 
building  is  erected,  or  the  old  one  repaired  and  put  in 
a  condition  more  suitable  to  the  times.  Permanent 
fixtures  take  the  place  of  the  loose  planks  and  boards, 
and  low  partition  walls  divide  the  floor  into  distinct 
compartments.  This  revolution  has  been  brought  on 
and  carried  out  by  the  wealth  of  the  few  who  had  the 
means  to  sustain  it,  and  they  in  return  receive  the 
honors  and  distinctions  usually  bestowed  on  the  suc- 
cessful leaders  of  a  revolution.  The  many  look  up  to 
them  with  reverence,  and  stand  back  and  give  place 
to  them  whenever  they  appear.  The  affairs  of  the 
meeting-house  are  now  principally  under  their  manage- 
ment and  control,  and  having  taken  possession  of  the 
most  honorable  seats,  and  provided  that  the  most 
respectable  among  the  mass  should  take  the  seats  of 
the  next  highest  grade,  the  remainder  of  the  house  is 
left  free  for  promiscuous  occupation. 

Years  pass  on  ;  and  by  the  diffusion  of  wealth  and 
knowledge,  and  the  increase  of  numbers,  the  society 
becomes  ripe  for  another  revolution.  Then  perhaps 
comes  on  a  sort  of  constitutional  government,  not 
unlike  that  of  our  great  Republican  Union.  A  taste- 
ful and  costly  church  is  erected,  and  the  snug  and 

7* 


154: 

elegant  family  pew  succeeds  to  the  former  rude 
compartments.  Each  pew,  like  a  sovereign  and 
independent  State,  is  governed  by  the  head  of  the 
family,  who  has  entire  control  over  all  matters  of  its 
internal  police,  subject,  however,  at  all  times,  to  the 
general  anl  common  laws  of  the  society. 

The  illustration  of  our  subject,  drawn  from  the 
history  of  the  good  old  town  of  Brookhaven,  is 
derived  from  that  period  when  the  meeting-house  was 
undergoing  a  change  from  a  democratic  to  an  aristo- 
cratic form  of  government.  The  building  had  been 
much  improved,  mainly  by  the  generous  liberality  of 
Colonel  Smith,  who  had  poured  out  his  treasure  like 
water,  to  accomplish  so  laudable  an  object.  By  the 
thorough  renovation  it  underwent  at  this  time,  includ- 
ing the  applications  of  yellow  ochre  and  oil,  and  the 
change  of  loose  planks  and  boards  for  permanent 
seats,  the  meeting-house  was  much  modernized,  and 
exhibited  a  very  respectable  appearance.  In  front  of 
the  pulpit  stood  a  large  table  of  about  twelve  feet  by 
four,  around  which,  on  communion  days,  the  church 
gathered  to  partake  of  the  supper.  At  the  regular 
Sabbath  services,  the  upper  members  of  the  parish, 
including,  of  course,  Colonel  Smith  and  his  family, 
seated  themselves  at  the  table,  as  being  the  most 


SEATING     THE     PARISH.  155 

honorable  seat,  on  account  of  its  vicinity  to  the  pul- 
pit, and  the  convenience  it  afforded  as  a  resting-place 
for  psalm-books  and  psalters.  The  rest  of  the  floor 
of  the  meeting-house  was  divided  into  fifteen  different 
apartments,  of  an  oblong,  bed-room  sort  of  size  and 
shape,  which  were  denominated  pews. 

But  it  is  hard  to  bring  the  mass  of  community  to 
adopt  great  changes  or  innovations  in  government,  or 
the  habits  of  society.  When  our  excellent  federal 
Constitution  was  framed,  it  was  a  long  time  before  a 
majority  of  the  people  of  all  the  States  could  be 
induced  to  fall  in  with  it,  and  receive  it  as  their  form 
of  government.  So  it  was  with  the  parish  of  Brook- 
haven.  They  had  been  accustomed,  from  time 
immemorial,  to  sit  promiscuously  in  all  parts  of  the 
meeting-house  wherever  they  pleased,  and  there 
seemed  to  be  but  little  dispositon  on  the  part  of  the 
mass  of  the  parish,  to  break  over  the  old  habit.  The 
society  had  become  numerous,  and  contained  many 
noisy  and  roguish  boys,  and  not  a  few  thoughtless  and 
frolicking  young  men.  Scenes  of  indecorum  and 
confusion  occurred  almost  every  Sabbath,  greatly  to 
the  annoyance  of  the  more  sober  part  of  the  congre- 
gation, and  sometimes  to  the  interruption  of  the 
ceremonial  o^  worship. 


156 

At  last  good  Parson  Phillips  had  to  stop  short  one 
day  in  the  midst  of  his  sermon.  He  stood  silent  for 
the  space  of  a  minute,  looking  r  ;ernly  at  pews 
number  four  and  six,  and  then,  sh.  king  his  finger 
solemnly  in  that  direction,  he  said : 

"  If  the  boys  in  pew  number  fou :  will  stop  that 
crowding  and  shuffling  their  feet,  anc  the  young  men 
in  pew  number  six  will  cease  their  whispering  with 
the  young  women,  the  sermon  can  go  on ;  if  not,  not." 

The    whole    congregation    looked    thunderstruck. 
The  old  men  turned  their  heads  towa  ;ds  the  two  pews 
and  then  towards  the  minister,  and  t  len  towards  the 
pews  again.     Deacon  Jones,  colorin  £  with  indigna- 
tion, rose  on  his  feet,  and  glanced  roi  nd  with  a  look 
of  awful   rebuke  upon  pew  numbe  •  six;   and  Mr. 
Wiggles  worth,  who  was  seated  at  the  table,  went 
directly  into  pew  number  four,  and  seizing  two  of 
the  boys  by  the  shoulders  in  the  thickest  of  the 
crowd,  dragged  them  out  of  the  pe  7,  and  set  them 
down  at  the  foot  of  the  pulpit  stairs.     These  decided 
demonstrations  in  favor  of  good  orde  •  were  not  with- 
out their  influence,  and  the  services  ;  .gain  proceeded 
without    any  material    interruption    till    the   close. 
"WTien  Parson  Phillips  was  about  tc   pronounce  the 
benediction,  Deacon  Jones  was  observed  to  rise  sooner 


SEATING     THE     PARISH.  157 

than  ne  was  accustomed  to  do,  and  before  any  of  the 
rest  of  the  congregation  ;  and  he  was  observed,  also, 
to  stand  during  that  ceremony,  with  his  back  to  the 
minister,  and  looking  round  upon  the  audience,  a 
thing  which  he  was  never  seen  to  do  before.  The 
congregation,  therefore,  were  prepared  to  expect 
something  out  of  the  usual  course,  from  Deacon 
Jones.  As  soon  as  the  amen  had  dropped  from  the 
minister's  lips,  the  deacon  stretched  out  his  hand,  and 
began  to  address  the  audience. 

"  I  think,"  said  he,  "  the  scenes  we  have  wit- 
nessed here  to-day,  as  well  as  on  several  Sabbaths 
heretofore,  admonish  us  that  we  have  a  duty  to  per- 
form which  has  been  too  long  neglected.  If  we  have 
any  regard  for  our  character,  as  an  orderly  and  well- 
'behaved  people  ;  if  we  have  any  respect  for  the  house 
of  God,  and  the  holy  religion  we  profess,  I  think  it  is 
high  time  we  took  a  decided  stand,  and  adopted  some 
strong  measures  to  secure  order  and  decorum  during 
the  hours  of  public  worship.  I  feel  impelled  by  a 
sense  of  duty  to  invite  a  general  meeting  to  be  held 
at  this  place  to-morrow,  to  take  the  subject  into  con- 
sideration. And  I  hope  thai  all  the  heads  of  families 
in  town,  and  all  who  vote  aid  pay  taxes,  will  meet 
here  to-morrow  at  ten  o'clock  for  this  purpose." 


158 

Colonel  Smith  spoke,  and  said  he  approved  of  the 
suggestion  of  Deacon  Jones,  and  hoped  there  would 
be  a  general  attendance.  The  congregation  then  dis- 
persed, son.e  moving  silently  and  thoughtfully  home- 
ward, and  some  loitering  by  the  way  and  leaning  over 
the  fences,  in  companies  of  three  or  four  together,  and 
discussing  earnestly  the  events  of  the  day,  and  pro- 
posing plans  to  be  presented  at  the  meeting  to- 
morrow. 

Punctually  at  ten  o'clock,  the  next  day,  there  was 
a  very  general  gathering  of  the  inhabitants  at  the 
meeting-house.  On  motion  of  Deacon  Jones,  Colonel 
Smith  was  unanimously  appointed  "  moderator,"  or 
chairman  of  the  meeting,  and  on  assuming  the  chair, 
he  stated  in  a  few  pertinent  remarks,  the  general 
object  of  the  meeting,  and  said  they  were  now  ready* 
to  hear  any  observations  or  suggestions  on  the  subject. 
A  minute  or  two  passed  in  perfect  silence,  and  no  one 
seemed  disposed  to  rise.  At  last,  the  chairman  said, 
perhaps  Squire  Tallmadge  would  favor  the  meeting 
with  his  views  of  the  matter.  The  eyes  of  all  were 
now  turned  toward  Squire  Tallmadge,  who  after  a 
little  pause,  rose  slowly,  and  addressed  the  chair  as 
follows. 

"  For  one,  Mr.  Mode  -ator,  I  feel  the  importance  of 


SEATING     THE     PARISH.  159 

the  subject  upon  which  we  are  met ;  and  for  one,  I 
am  prepared  to  go  into  strong  measures  to  remedy 
the  evil,  which  has  been  so  common  of  late.  The 
evil  is  great,  and  must  be  corrected.  We  had  a 
specimen  yesterday  of  the  noise  and  indecorum  which 
sometimes  interrupts  the  course  of  worship.  And 
that  is  not  all,  nor  the  worst  of  it.  The  young  men 
and  the  boys  have  got  in  the  habit  of  going  in  early 
sometimes,  before  ^rvices  begin,  and  crowding  into 
the  best  seats,  and  occupying  the  chairs  round  the 
table ;  so  that  the  older  people,  the  pillars  of  the 
church,  and  those  who  bear  most  of  the  expense  of 
supporting  the  gospel,  have  to  go  into  the  back  seats 
or  stow  themselves  round  in  the  corners,  wherever 
they  can  find  a  chance.  This  is  the  difficulty,  and  it 
seems  to  me  the  remedy  would  lie  in  some  entirely 
new  arrangement  for  seating  the  parish.  I  think  the 
inhabitants  should  be  properly  divided  into  classes, 
and  each  class  assigned  to  a  different  pew,  having 
reference  to  the  rank  and  respectability  of  each  class, 
and  the  respective  proportions  they  contribute  to  the 
support  of  the  gospel." 

As  Squire  Tallmadge  sat  down,  Mr.  Wiggles  worth 
and  Doctor  Wetmore  rose  nearly  at  the  same  time. 
The  chair  finally  decided  that  Mr.  Wigglesworth  had 


160  'WAT    DOWN    EAST. 

the  floor,  whereupon  Mr.  Wigglesworth  made  the 
following  remarks. 

"Mr.  Moderator;  I  agree  with  all  that  Squire 
Tallmadge  has  said,  exactly ;  only  I  don't  think  he's 
stated  the  audacious  conduct  half  strong  enough.  I 
think,  if  the  young  men  have  courting  to  do,  they 
should  do  it  at  home  and  not  in  church.  Why,  Mr. 
Moderator,  I've  seen  a  young  man,  that  I  won't  call 
by  name,  now,  though  he's  here  in  this  meeting, 
set  with  his  arm  round  the  girl  that  sot  next  to 
him  half  sermon  time."  Here  the  heads  of  the 
audience  were  turned  in  various  directions,  'till 
their  eyes  rested  on  four  or  five  young  men,  who, 
with  unusual  modesty,  had  taken  some  of  the  back 
seats,  and  one  of  whom  was  observed  to  color 
deeply. 

"  I  think,"  continued  Mr.  "Wigglesworth,  "  the 
people  at  church  ought  to  be  sifted  out,  and  divided, 
each  sort  by  itself.  What's  the  use  of  having  these 
'ere  pews,  if  it  aint  to  divide  the  people  into  them 
according  to  their  sorts?  I  have  a  calf-pen  and  a 
sheep-pen  in  my  barn-yard,  and  I  put  the  calves  into 
one,  and  the  sheep  into  'tothei,  and  then  I  put  the 
bars  up,  and  don't  let  'em  run  back  and  forth  into 
each  other's  pen,  jest  as  they  are  a  mind  to.  I've 


BEATING     THE     PARISH.  161 

no  more  to  say,  Mr.  Moderator,  only  I  hope 
now  we've  begun,  -we  shall  make  thorough  work 
of  it." 

Doctor  Wetmore  then  rose,  and  made  a  few  remarks. 
He  fully  agreed  with  the  suggestions  thrown  out  by 
Squire  Tallmadge.  He  had  witnessed  the  evils  com- 
plained of,  and  had  been  mortified  by  them  a  good 
many  times;  and  he  believed  the  proper  remedy 
would  be,  as  Squire  Tallmadge  suggested,  in  some 
thorough  change  and  some  regular  system,  with 
regard  to  seating  the  parish  at  church.  He  would 
move  therefore,  that  the  subject  be  referred  to  the 
trustees,  or  selectmen  of  the%  town,  and  that  they  be 
requested  to  draw  up  an  ordinance,  to  be  adopted  as  a 
town  law  for  seating  the  people  in  a  proper  and 
orderly  manner  at  church,  according  to  their  proper 
rank,  and  also  having  special  reference  to  the 
sums  contributed  by  each  for  the  support  of  the 
gospel. 

Mr.  Wigglesworth  seconded  the  motion,  and  it  was 
put  and  carried  unanimously.  Deacon  Jones  then 
moved  that  the  trustees  be  requested  to  give  thorough 
attention  to  the  work  the  present  week,  and  bring 
their  ordinance  in  the  next  Sabbath  morning,  and 
have  it  read  from  the  pulpit,  and  go  into  immediate 


162 


operation.  This  motion  was  also  seconded  and  carried, 
and  the  meeting  adjourned. 

This  week  was  an  anxious  week  at  Brookhaven,  and 
one  on  which  an  unusual  amount  of  talking  was  done. 
The  subject  was  canvassed  and  discussed  in  every  pos- 
sible shape  by  all  classes  and  in  all  families.  The  old 
ladies  were  rejoicing  at  the  prospect  of  more  quiet 
and  orderly  meetings,  and  the  young  ladies  were  in 
fidgets  to  know  where  they  were  to  sit.  Several  per- 
sons came  forward  with  surprising  liberality  during 
this  week,  and  added  ten,  fifteen,  and  some  as  high  as 
twenty  shillings,  to  their  annual  subscription,  for  the 
support  of  the  ministry. 

At  last,  the  important  Sunday  morning  came  round. 
It  was  a  pleasant  morning,  and  the  people  went 
uncommonly  early  to  church,  and  the  meeting-house 
was  fuller  than  it  had  been  seen  for  many  months 
before.  None,  however,  seemed  disposed  to  take 
seats  as  they  entered,  and  all  were  standing,  when 
Parson  Phillips  came  in.  When  the  Eeverend  gen- 
tleman came  up  to  the  pulpit,  the  chairman  of  the 
trustees  handed  him  the  ordinance,  and  requested  him 
to  read  it  from  the  pulpit,  in  order  that  the  parish 
might  be  seated  accordingly  before  the  services  corn* 
menced. 


SEATING     THE     PARISH.  163 

Parson  Phillips  accordingly  ascended  the  pulpit, 
and  unfolded  the  paper,  and  while  the  whole  congre- 
gation stood  in  profound  silence,  with  their  eyes  fixed 
011  the  speaker,  he  read  as  follows. 

"  At  a  meeting  of  the  Trustees  of  Brookhaven, 
August  6,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  three  • 
Whereas,  there  hath  been  several  rude  actions  of  late 
happened  in  our  church  by  reason  of  people  not  being 
seated,  which  is  much  to  the  dishonor  of  God  and  the 
discouragement  of  virtue ;  For  preventing  the  like 
again,  it  is  ordered,  that  the  inhabitants  be  seated 
after  the  manner  and  form  following  :  All  freehold- 
ers that  have  or  shall  subscribe  within  a  month  to  pay 
forty  shillings  to  Mr.  Phillips  towards  his  salary  shall 
be  seated  at  the  table,  and  that  no  women  are  permit- 
ted to  set  there,  except  Colonel  Smith's  lady,  nor  any 
woman  kind  ;  And  that  the  President  for  the  time 
being  shall  sit  in  the  right-hand  seat  under  the  pulpit, 
and  the  clerk  on  the  left ;  the  trustees  in  the  front 
seat,  and  the  Justices  that  are  inhabitants  of  the  town 
are  to  be  seated  at  the  table,  whether  they  pay  forty 
shillings  or  less.  And  the  pew  number  one,  all  such 
persons  as  have  or  shall  subscribe  twenty  shillings ;  and 
the  pew  number  two,  such  as  subscribe  to  pay  fifteen 


164 

shillings  ;  in  pew  number  three,  such  as  subscribe  to 
pay  ten  shillings  ;  number  four,  eight  shillings  ;  num- 
ber five,  twelve  shillings  ;  number  six,  nine  shillings ; 
number ~seven,  for  the  young  men  ;  number  eight,  for 
the  boys ;  number  nine,  for  ministers'  widows  and 
wives ;  and  for  those  women  whose  husbands  pay 
forty  shillings,  to  sit  according  to  their  age  ;  number 
eleven,  for  those  men's  wives  that  pay  from  twenty 
to  fifteen  shillings.  The  alley  fronting  the  pews  to  be 
for  such  maids  whose  parents  or  selves  shall  subscribe, 
for  two,  six  shillings  ;  number  twelve,  for  those  men's 
wives  who  pay  from  ten  to  fifteen  shillings ;  number 
thirteen,  for  maids ;  number  fourteen,  for  girls ;  and 
number  fifteen,  for  any.  Captain  Clark  and  Joseph 
Tooker  to  settle  the  inhabitants  according  to  the  above 
orders."  * 

When  the  reading  was  finished,  Captain  Clark  and 
Mr.  Tooker  entered  upon  the  duties  of  their  office  ; 
and  after  about  an  hour's  marching  and  counter- 
marching, and  whispering,  and  pulling  and  hauling, 
and  referring  to  the  parish  subscription  books,  the 
congregation,  was  seated,  quiet  was  restored,  and  the 
services  of  the  day  were  performed  without  interrup 

•  True  extract  from  old  records. 


SEATING     THE     PARISH.  165 

tion.  The  next  Sabbath,  each  one  knew  his  own 
place,  and  the  new  order  of  things  was  found  to  work 
well,  and  answered  a  good  purpose  for  many  long 
years  after  that,  'till  in  the  progress  of  human  events 
the  parish  became  ripe  for  another  reform. 


166  'WAT    DOWN    EAST. 


CHAPTEE  YUL 

THE    MONEY-DIGGERS    AND    OLD    NICK. 

THIS  is  a  money  digging  world  of  ours ;  and,  as  it 
is  said,  "  there  are  more  ways  than  on«  to  skin  a  cat," 
so  are  there  more  ways  than  one  of  digging  for  money. 
But,  in  some  mode  or  other,  this  seems  to  be  the  uni- 
versal occupation  of  the  sons  of  Adam.  Show  me 
the  man  who  does  not  spend  one  half  of  his  life  long 
in  digging  for  money,  and  I  will  show  you  an  anomaly 
in  the  human  species.  "  Hunger  will  break  through 
a  stone  wall,"  but  love  of  money  will  compass  earth 
and  sea,  and  even  brave  heaven  and  hell,  in  pursuit 
of  its  object.  The  dark  and  bloody  highwayman,  in 
the  silent  hours  of  night,  seeks  a  lonely  pass  on  the 
public  road,  waits  the  approach  of  the  coming  travel- 
ler, puts  a  pistol  to  his  breast  and  a  hand  to  his  pocket, 
takes  his  treasure,  and  flien  to  seek  another  spot  and 
another  opportunity  for  a  repetition  of  his  crime,  and 
that  is  his  mode  of  digging  for  money.  The  less  dar- 
ing robber  takes  his  false  keys,  and  makes  his  way  at 


THE     MONEY-DIGGERS     AND     OLD     NICK.    167 

midnight  into  the  store  of  the  merchant,  or  the  vaults 
of  the  bank,  bears  away  his  booty,  and  hides  it  in  the 
earth ;  then,  pale  and  haggard,  creeps  away  to  his  rest- 
less couch,  and  rises  in  the  morning  to  tremble  at 
every  sound  he  hears,  and  to  read  suspicion  on  the 
countenance  of  every  one  that  approaches  him — and 
that  is  his  mode  of  digging  for  money. 

Step  with  me  into  the  courts  of  justice.  Listen  to 
that  learned  barrister,  pleading  for  his  client.  What 
eloquence !  what  zeal !  what  power !  How  admirably 
does  he  "  make  the  worse  appear  the  better  reason !" 
The  patient  judges  sit  from  morning  till  night,  waiting 
for  his  conclusion,  and  still  it  comes  not.  The  evening 
waxeth  late,  and  still  he  goes  on  citing  case  after  case, 
and  rule  after  rule,  diving  into  huge  piles  of  old 

volumes  and  musty  records  of  the  law,  as  eagerly  as 
,  « 

if  his  own  life  depended  on  the  issue  of  the  trial. 
What  is  it  that  impels  him  to  all  this  exertion  ?  I 
trow  he  is  digging  for  money. 

And  then,  do  you  see  that  restless  politician  ?  The 
whole  weight  of  the  government  is  resting  on  his 
shoulders.  The  salvation  of  the  country  depends 
upon  the  election  of  his  candidates.  How  he  rides 
from  town  to  town,  stirring  up  the  voters !  How  he 
claps  the  speakers  at  the  public  caucus,  and  with  what 


168 

assiduity  does  he  seize  his  neighbor  by  the  button  and 
lead  him  to  the  polls !  What  is  it  that  gives  such  fire 
to  his  patriotic  zeal,  and  keeps  him  in  such  continual 
cofcrmotion  ?  The  answer  is  short ;  he  is  only  digging 
for  money. 

And  so  it  is  with  all ;  the  merchant  in  his  counting- 
house,  the  mechanic  in  his  workshop,  and  the  farmer 
in  his  field,  all  are  digging  for  money. 

But,  laying  aside  all  figures  of  speech,  and  all  cir- 
cumlocution, let  us  speak  of  money-diggers  proper — 
bond  fide  money-diggers — men  who  dig  holes  in  the 
ground,  and  delve  deep  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth, 
m  search  of  pots  of  money  and  kettles  of  gold  and 
silver  coin.  For  such  there  are,  and  probably  have 
been  in  all  countries  and  all  ages. 

On  the  rough  and  rocky  coast  of  Maine,  about  ten 
miles  to  the  eastward  of  Portland  harbor,  lies  Jewell's 
Island.  It  is  a  bright  and  beautiful  gem  on  the  ocean's 
breast,  full  of  various  and  romantic  scenery.  It  has 
its  green  pastures,  its  cultivated  fields,  and  its  dark 
shaggy  forests.  Its  seaward  shore  is  a  high  and  pre- 
cipitous mass  of  rock,  rough,  and  ragged,  and  project- 
ing in  a  thousand  shapes  into  the  chafing  ocean,  whose 
broken  waves  dash  and  roll  into  its  deep  fissures,  and 
•••oar  and  growl  like  distant  thunder.  On  the  inland 


THE     MONEY-DIGGERS     AND     OLD     KICK.     169 

side  of  the  islan  1,  there  is  a  grassy  slope  down  to  the 
water's  edge,  an  1  here  is  a  little,  round,  quiet,  harbor, 
where  "boats  cai  ride  at  anchor,  or  rest  on  the  sandy 
beach  in  in  pe:  feet  security.  The  island  has  been 
inhabited  by  a  f  jw  fishermen,  probably  for  a  century, 
and,  recently  we  rks  have  been  erected  upon  it  for  the 
manufacture  of  copperas  and  alum,  the  mineral  from 
which  these  arti  jles  are  produced  having  been  found 
there  in  great  at  mdance. 

This  island  ha^  been  renowned  as  a  place  for  money- 
digging  ever  sii  ce  the  first  settlements  were  planted 
along  the  coast ;  md  wild  and  romantic  are  the  legends 
related  by  the  ol  1  dames,  in  the  cottages  of  the  fish- 
ermen, when  so  ne  wind-bound  passenger,  who  has 
left  his  vessel  to  ?pend  the  evening  on  shore,  happens 
to  make  any  inqi  iry  about  the  money-diggers.  But  of 
all  these  wild  le^  endary  narratives,  probably  there  ia 
none  more  autl  3ntic,  or  supported  by  stronger  or 
more  undoubted  testimony,  than  the  veritable  history 
herein  recorded  ind  preserved. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  war,  when 
tta  country  begf  a  to  breathe  somewhat  freely  again, 
after  its  long  de  thlike  struggle,  and  the  industry  of 
the  inhabitants  ^  ;as  settling  down  into  its  accustomed 

channels,  a  sailor,  who  had  wandered  from  Portland 

8 


170 

harbor  some  forty  or  fifty  miles  back  into  the  country, 
called  at  the  house  of  Jonathan  Eider,  and  asked  for 
some  dinner.  "  But  shiver  my  timbers,"  he  added, 
"  if  I've  got  a  stiver  of  money  to  pay  for  it  with.  The 
last  shot  I  had  in  the  locker  went  to  pay  for  my 
breakfast." 

"  Well,  never  mind  that,"  said  Jonathan,  "  I  never 
lets  a  fellow  creetur  go  away  hungry  as  long  as  I've 
got  anything  to  eat  myself.  Come,  haul  up  to  the 
table  here,  and  take  a  little  of  such  pot-luck  as  we've 
got.  Patty,  hand  on  another  plate,  and  dip  up  a  little 
more  soup." 

The  sailor  threw  his  tarpaulin  cap  upon  the  floor, 
gave  a  hitch  at  his  waistband,  and  took  a  seat  at  the 
table  with  the  family,  who  had  already  nearly  finished 
their  repast. 

"  What  may  I  call  your  name,  sir,  if  I  may  be  se 
bold?"  said  Jonathan,  at  the  same  time  handing  a 
bowl  of  soup  to  the  sailor. 

"  My  name  is  Bill  Stanwood,  the  world  over,  fail 
weather  or  foul ;  I  was  born  and  brought  up  in  old 
Marblehead,  and  followed  fisliing  till  I  was  twenty 
years  old,  and  for  the  last  ten  years  I've  been  foreign 
viges  all  over  the  world." 

CT  And  how  happens  you  to  get  away  so  far  from  the 


THE    MONEY-DIGGERS     AND     OLD     NICK.    171 

sea  now,  jest  as  the  times  is  growing  better,  and  trade 
is  increasing  ?" 

"  Oh,  I  had  a  bit  of  a  notion,"  said  Bill,  "  to  take  a 
land  tack  a  few  days  up  round  in  these  parts." 

"  Maybe  you've  got  some  relations  up  this  way," 
said  Jonathan,  "  that  you  are  going  to  visit  ?" 

"  Oh  no,"  said  Bill,  "  I  haint  got  a  relation  on  the 
face  of  the  arth,  as  I  know  on.  I  never  had  any 
father,  nor  mother,  nor  brother,  nor  sister.  An  old 
aunt,  that  I  lived  with  when  I  was  a  little  boy,  was 
all  the  mother  that  ever  I  had ;  and  she  died  when  I 
was  on  my  last  fishing  cruise ;  and  there  wasn't  nobody 
left  that  I  cared  a  stiver  for,  so  I  thought  I  might  as 
well  haul  up  line  and  be  off.  So  I  took  to  foreign 
viges  at  once,  and  since  that  I  have  been  all  round  the 
West  Indies,  and  to  England,  and  France,  and  Russia, 
and  South  America,  and  up  the  Mediterranean,  and 
clear  round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  China,  and 
the  deuce  knows  where." 

"  But  you  say  you  haint  got  no  relations  up  this 


"No." 

"  'Nor  acquaintances  nother  ?" 

"No." 

"  Then,  if  I  may  be  so  bold,  what  sent  you  on  a 


172 

-jruise  so  fur  back  in  the  country,  afoot  and  alone,  as 
the  gal  went  to  be  married  ?" 

"  Oh,  no  boldness  at  all,"  said  Bill ;  "  ask  again,  if 
you  like.  Howsomever,"  he  added,  giving  a  knowing 
wink  with  one  eye,  "  I  come  on  a  piece  of  business 
of  a  very  particular  kind,  that  I  don't  tell  to  every- 
body." 

"  I  want  to  know !"  said  Jonathan,  his  eyes  and 
mouth  beginning  to  dilate  a  little.  "  Maybe,  if  you 
should  tell  me  what  'tis,  I  might  give  you  a  lift  about 
it." 

"  By  the  great  hocus  pocus!"  said  Bill,  looking  his 
host  full  in  the  face,  "  If  I  thought  you  could,  I'd  be 
your  servant  the  longest  day  I  live." 

"  You  don't  say  so  ?"  said  Jonathan,  with  increas- 
ing interest ;  "  it  must  be  something  pretty  particular 
then.  I  should  like  mighty  well  to  know  what  'tis. 
Maybe  I  might  help  you  about  it." 

"Well,  then,"-  said  Bill,  "I'll  jest  ask  you  one 
question.  Do  you  know  anything  of  an  old  school- 
master, about  in  these  parts,  by  the  name  of  Solomon 
Bradman  ?" 

«]STo— why?" 

"Never  heard  anything  of  him?"  said  Bill,  with 
earnestness. 


THE     MONEY-DIGGERS     AND     OLD     NICK.    1Y3 

"  Not  a  word,"  said  Jonathan  1  "  why,  what  about 
him?" 

"  It  is  deuced  strange,"  said  Bill,  "  that  I  never 
can  hear  a  word  of  that  man.  I'd  work  like  a  slave 
a  whole  year  for  the  sake  of  finding  him  only  one 
hour.  I  was  told,  the  last  he  was  heard  on,  he  was 
in  some  of  these  towns  round  here,  keeping  school." 

"Well,  I  never  heard  of  him  before,"  said  Jonathan ; 
"  but  what  makes  you  so  mighty  anxious  to  find  him? 
Did  you  go  to  school  to  him  once,  and  have  you  owed 
him  a  licking  ever  since  ?  Or  does  he  owe  you  some 
money  ?" 

"  No,  I  never  set  eyes  on  him  in  my  life,"  said  Bill ; 
"  but  there's  nobody  in  the  world  I'd  give  half  so 
much  to  see.  And  now  we've  got  along  so  fur,  jest 
between  you  and  me,  I'll  ask  you  one  more  question ; 
but  I  would  n't  have  you  name  it  to  anybody  for 
nothing." 

"  No,  by  jings,"  said  Jonathan,  "  if  you're  a  mind 
to  tell  me,  I'll  be  as  whist  about  it  as  a  mouse." 

"Well,  then,"  said  Bill,  "I  want  to  know,  if  you 
know  of  anybody,  that  knows  how  to  work  'brandy- 
way  ?" 

"  Brandy-war.  ?  what's  that  ?"  said  Jonathan.  "  If 
you  mean  anybody  that  can  drink  brandy-way,  1 


174  'WAT    DOWN    EAST. 

guess  I  can  show  you  one,"  lie  continued,  Burning  to 
a  stout,  red-faced,  blowzy  looking  man,  who  sat  at  his 
right  hand  at  table.  "Here's  my  neighbor,  Asa 
Sampson,  I  guess  can  do  that  are  sort  of  business  as 
fast  as  anybody  you  can  find.  Don't  you  think  you 
can,  Asa?" 

Asa  Sampson  was  a  hard  one.  He  was  helping 
Mr.  Rider  do  his  haying.  He  had  been  swinging  the 
scythe,  through  a  field  of  stout  clover,  all  the  fore- 
noon, during  which  time  he  had  taken  a  full  pint  of 
strong  brandy,  and  now  had  just  finished  a  hearty  hot 
dinner.  Mr.  Sampson's  face,  therefore,  it  may  well 
be  supposed,  was  already  in  rather  a  high  glow.  But 
at  this  sudden  sally  of  Mr.  Rider,  the  red  in  Asa's 
visage  grew  darker  and  deeper,  till  it  seemed  almost 
ready  to  burst  out  into  a  blue  flame.  He  choked  and 
stammered,  and  tried  to  speak.  And  at  last  he  did 
speak,  and  says  he : — 

"  Wliy,  yes,  Mr.  Rider,  I  guess  so ;  and  if  you'll 
jest  bring  your  brandy  bottle  on,  I'll  try  to  show  you 
how  well  I  can  do  that  are  sort  of  business." 

Mr.  Rider,  thinking  his  joke  upon  Asa  was  rather 
a  hard  one,  as  the  most  ready  means  of  atoning  for 
it,  called  upon  Mrs.  Rider  to  bring  forward  the  bottle 
at  once. 


THE     MONEY-DIGGERS     AND     OLD     NICK.    175 

u  Come,"  said  Mr.  Eider,  "  let's  take  a  drop,"  turn- 
ing out  a  glass  himself,  and  then  passing  the  bottle  to 
the  sailor  and  ]Vlr.  Sampson. 

"  I  can  drink  brandy  all  weathers,"  said  Bill  Stan- 
"wood,  filling  up  a  good  stiff  glass ;  "  but  if  I  could 
only  jest  find  somebody  that  could  show  me  how  to 
work  brandy-way,  I  should  rather  have  it  than  all 
the  brandy  that  ever  was  made  in  the  world." 

"  But  what  do  you  mean  by  this  brandy-way  you 
talk  about  ?"  said  Jonathan.  "  Seems  to  me  that's  a 
new  kind  of  a  wrinkle ;  I  don't  understand  it." 

"  Why,  I  mean,"  said  Bill,  "  I  want  to  know  how 
to  measure  brandy-way ;  that  is,  how  to  measure  off 
so  many  rods  on  the  ground  brandy-way.  I  never 
heard  of  but  one  man  that  fully  understood  it,  and 
that  was  Master  Bradman  ;  and  I've  been  told  that  he 
knew  it  as  well  as  he  did  the  multiplication  table. 
I've  been  hunting  for  that  man  a  fortnight,  all  roTZjid 
in  these  towns  about  here,  and  it's  plaguey  strange  I 
can't  hear  nothing  of  him." 

"  "Well,  I  don't  know  anything  about  your  measur- 
ing brandy-way,"  said  Jonathan,  "  and  as  for  Master 
Bradman,  I'm  sure  there  haint  nobody  by  that  name 
kept  school  in  this  town  these  twenty  years.  For  I've 
lived  here  twenty  years,  and  know  every  schoolmaster 


176 

that's  kept  school  here  since  I  came    into  the  town 
But,  if  I  may  be  so  bold,  what  maker  you  so  anxious 
to  learn  about  this  brandy-way  busin  jss  ?" 

"  Why,  I've  reasons  enough,"  said  Bill ;  "  I'll  tell 
you  what  'tis,  shipmate,"  he  added,  /  iving  Jonathan 
a  familiar  slap  on  the  shoulder,  "  if  I  could  only  learn 
how  to  measure  fifteen  rods  brandy-  vay,  I  would  n't 
thank  king  George  to  be  my  grandi  ither.  I  should 
have  as  much  money  as  I  should  v  ant,  if  I  should 
live  to  be  as  old  as  Methusaleh." 

"  You  don't  say  so  ?"  said  Jonath;  ,n,  his  eyes  evi- 
dently growing  larger  at  the  recital.  "  I  should  like 
mighty  well  to  know  how  that's  don<  ." 

"  "Well,  I  should  a  good  deal  rathe  •  see  the  money 
than  hear  about  it,"  said  Asa  Samj  son,  whose  ideas 
were  somewhat  waked  up  by  the  effec  ts  of  the  brandy. 

"  Then  you  don't  believe  it,  do  you  P  said  Bill.  "  I 
could  convince  you  of  it  in  five  minu  ee,  if  I'd  a  mind 
to  ;  for  I've  got  the  evidence  of  it  in  my  pocket.  If 
I  could  only  measure  brandy- way,  '. '.  know  where  I 
could  go  and  dig  up  lots  and  lots  of  i  aoney,  that  have 
been  buried  in  the  earth  by  pirates." 

"  Are  you  in  arnest  ?"  said  Jonath:  ,n. 

"  To  be  sure  I  am ;  I  never  was  nc  ore  in  arnest  in 
my  life." 


THE     MONEY-DIGGEKS     AND     OLD     NICK.    177 

"  Well,  now  do  tell  us  all  about  it,  for  if  it's  true, 
and  you'll  give  me  a  share  of  it,  1  would  n't  valley 
taking  my  old  horse  and  wagon,  and  going  round  a 
few  days  with  you  to  help  hunt  up  Master  Bradman. 
And  if  we  can't  find  him,  perhaps  we  can  find  some- 
body else  that  knows  how  to  do  it.  But  do  you  know 
pretty  near  where  the  money  is  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  know  within  fifteen  rods  of  the  very 
spot." 

"  And  you  are  sure  there's  money  buried  there  ?" 

"  Yes,  I'm  sure  of  it.  I've  got  the  documents  here 
in  my  pocket  that  tells  all  about  it.  I'm  most  tired  of 
hunting  alone  for  it,  and,  if  you're  a  mind  to  take 
hold  and  follow  it  up  with  me,  I've  a  good  mind 
to  let  you  into  the  secret,  and  let  you  go  snacks  with 
me ;  for,  somehow  or  other,  I  kind  of  take  a  liking 
to  you,  and  don't  believe  I  shall  find  a  cleverer  fellow 
if  I  sail  the  world  over." 

"  That's  what  you  wont,"  said  Mrs.  Rider,  whc 
began  to  feel  a  strong  interest  in  the  conversation  of 
the  sailor.  "  I've  summered  and  wintered  Mr.  Rider, 
and  know  just  what  he  is  ;  and  I  don't  think  you'll 
find  anybody  that  would  help  you  more  in  looking 
for  the  money,  or  any  cleverer  man  to  have  a  share 

of  it  after  you've  found  it." 

8* 


178 

"  Well,  that's  jest  what  1  want,"  said  Bill ;  "  so,  if 
you  say  so,  it's  a  bargain." 

"Well,  I  say  so,"  said  Jonathan;  "now  let's  see 
your  documents." 

Bill  Stanwood  deliberately  drew  from  his  pocket  an 
old  rusty  pocket-book,  carefully  tied  together  with  a 
piece  of  twine.  He  opened  it,  and  took  from  its 
inmost  fold  a  paper  much  worn  and  soiled. 

"  There,"  said  he,  "  that's  the  secret  charm.  That's 
worth  more  than  King  George's  crown;  if  'twas  n't 
for  that  plaguey  little  botheration  about  measuring 
fifteen  rods  brandy-way.  Now  I'll  tell  you  how  I 
come  by  this  ere  paper.  About  three  years  ago,  we 
was  on  a  vige  round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  we 
had  an  old  Spanish  sailor  with  us  that  was  a  real  dark 
faced  old  bruiser.  He  was  full  of  odd  ways.  It 
seemed  as  if  he'd  got  tired  of  the  world  and  every 
body  in  it,  and  did  n't  care  for  nobody  nor  nothin'. 
And  every  soul  on  board  almost  hated  him,  he  was  so 
crabbed-like.  At  last  he  was  took  sick,  and  grew 
very  bad.  Day  after  day  he  lay  in  his  berth,  and 
only  grew  worse.  The  captain  used  to  send  him  some 
medicine  every  day,  but  never  would  go  near  him, 
and  none  of  the  hands  didn't  go  nigh  him,  only  jest 
to  hand  him  the  medicine  when  the  captain  sent  it 


THE     MONEY-DIGGERS     AND     OLD     NICK.    179 

And  he  would  take  the  medicine  without  saying  a 
word,  and  then  lay  down  again,  and  you  wouldn't 
know  but  what  he  was  dead  all  day,  if  it  was  n't  once 
in  a  while  you  would  hear  him  fetch  a  hard  breath, 
or  a  groan.  I  began  to  pity  him,  and  I  went  and 
stood,  and  looked  on  him.  The  cold  sweat  stood  in 
drops  on  his  forehead,  he  was  in  so  much  distress. 
And  says  I,  '  Diego,  can't  I  do  something  for  you  V 
And  I  s'pose  I  looked  kind  of  pitiful  on  him,  for  he 
opened  his  eyes  and  stared  in  my  face  a  minute,  as  if 
he  heard  some  strange  sound,  and  then  the  tears 
come  into  his  eyes,  and  his  chin  quivered,  and  says 
he, 

"  '  Bill,  if  you'll  only  jest  get  me  a  drink  of  cold 
water,  for  I'm  all  burning  up  inside.' 

"  And  I  went  and  got  him  some  water,  and  he 
drinked  it,  and  it  seemed  to  revive  him  a  little.  And 
says  he  to  me,  'Bill,  I'm  jest  going  off  upon  my  last 
long  vige.'  And  then  he  put  his  hand  in  his  pocket, 
and  took  out  this  very  paper,  and  handed  it  to  me ; 
and  says  he, 

"  c  I  meant  to  have  kept  this  in  my  pocket,  and  let 
it  be  throwed  with  my  old  carcase  into  the  sea  ;  but 
you  have  been  kind  to  me,  and  you  may  have  it ;  and 
if  ever  you  go  into  that  part  of  the  world  again,  it 


1 80  'WAY     DOWN     E  A  B  T  . 

will  show  you  where  you  can  get  as  nuch  money  as 
you  want.' 

"  That  night  poor  Diego  died,  ar  I  we  took  and 
wrapped  him  in  his  blanket,  and  pu  a  stone  to  his 
feet,  and  threw  him  overboard ;  and  ',  hat  was  the  end 
of  poor  Diego." 

"  Poor  soul,"  said  Mrs.  Rider,  brus  ling  a  tear  from 
her  eye,  "  how  could  you  -bear  to  t  irow  him  over- 
board?" 

"  Oh,  we  could  n't  do  nothin'  else  with  him,  away 
oft  there  to  sea.  When  a  poor  felloe  dies  a  thousand 
miles  from  land,  there's  no  other  w  ay  but  to  souse 
him  over,  and  let  him  go.  I  pitied  t"ie  creetur  at  the 
last,  but  no  doubt  he'd  been  a  wickc  d  wretch,  and  I 
suppose  had  lived  among  pirates.  1  Le  had  scars  on 
his  face  and  arms,  that  showed  he'  i  been  in  some 
terrible  battles." 

"Well,  what  was  in  the  paper?"  said  Jonathan, 
beginning  to  grow  a  little  impatient  fo:  the  documents. 

"  I'll  read  it  to  you,"  said  Bill. 

So  saying,  he  opened  the  paper,  winch  was  so  much 
worn  at  the  folds  as  to  drop  into  se^  eral  pieces,  and 
read  from  it  as  follows  : — 

In  +he  name  of  Copt  am  Kidd,  Am*n. — On  Jewell's 


THE     MONEY  -DIGGERS     AND     OLD     NICK.    181 

Island,  near  the  harbor  of  Falmouth,  in  the  District 

of  Maine,  is  buried  a  large  iron  pot  full  of  gold,  with 

% 
an  iron  cover  over  it,  and  also  two  large  iron  pots  full 

of  silver  dollars  and  half  dollars,  with  iron  covers 
over  them  ;  and  .also  one  other  large  iron  pot,  with  an 
iron  cover  over  it,  full  of  rich  jewels,  and  gold  rings 
and  necklaces,  and  gold  watches  of  great  value.  In 
this  last  pot  is  the  paper  containing  the  agreement  of 
the  four  persons  who  buried  these  treasures,  and  the 
name  of  each  one  is  signed  to  it  with  his  own  blood. 
In  that  agreement  it  is  stated  that  this  property 
belongs  equally  to  the  four  persons  who  buried  it,  and 
is  not  to  be  dug  up  or  disturbed  while  the  whole  four 
are  living,  except  they  be  all  present.  And  in  case  it 
shall  not  be  reclaimed  during  the  lifetime  of  the  four, 
it  shall  belong  equally  to  the  survivors,  who  shall  be 
bound  to  each  other  in  the  same  manner  -as  the  four 
were  bound.  And  in  case  this  property  shall  never 
be  dug  up  by  the  four,  or  any  of  them,  the  last  survi- 
vor shall  have  a  right  to  reveal  the  place  where  it  is 
hid,  and  to  make  such  disposition  of  it  as  he  may 
think  proper.  And  in  that  same  paper,  the  evil  spirit 
of  darkness  is  invoked  to  keep  watch  over  this 
money,  and  to  visit  with  sudden  destruction  any  one 
of  the  foul  who  may  violate  his  agreement.  This 


'WAY-    DOWN    EAST. 


property  was  buried  at  the  hour  of  midnight,  and  only 
at  the  hour  of  midnight,  can  it  ever  be  reclaimed. 
And  it  can  be  obtained  only  in  the  most  profound 
silence  on  the  part  of  those  who  are  digging  for  it. 
"Not  a  word  or  syllable  must  be  uttered  from  the  time 
the  first  spade  is  struck  in  the  ground,  till  a  handful 
of  the  money  is  taken  out  of  one  of  the  pots.  This 
arrangement  was  entered  into  with  the  spirit  of  dark- 
ness, in  order  to  prevent  any  unauthorized  persons 
from  obtaining  the  money.  I  am  the  last  survivor  of 
the  four.  If  I  shall  dispose  of  this  paper  to  any  one 
before  my  death,  or  leave  it  to  any  one  after  I  am 
gone,  he  may  obtain  possession  of  this  great  treasure 
by  observing  the  following  directions.  Go  to  the 
north  side  of  the  island,  where  there  is  a  little  cove, 
or  harbor,  and  a  good  landing  on  a  sandy  beach. 
Take  your  compass  and  run  by  it  due  south  a  half  a 
mile,  measuring  from  high-water  mark.  Then  run 
fifty  rods  east  by  compass,  and  there  you  will  find  a 
blue  stone,  about  two  feet  long,  set  endwise  into  the 
ground.  From  this  stone,  measure  fifteen  rods 
brandy-way,  and  there,  at  the  depth  of  five  feet  from 
the  surface  of  the  ground,  you  will  find  the  pots  of 
money.  (Signed) 

DIEGO  ZEVOLA. 


THE     MONEY-DIGGERS     AND     OLD     NICK.    183 

When  Bill  Stanwood  had  finished  reading  his 
*  document,'  there  was  silence  in  the  room  for  the 
space  of  two  minutes.  Jonathan's  eyes  were  fixed  in 
a  sort  of  bewildered  amazement  upon  the  sailor,  and 
Mrs.  Eider's  were  riveted  intently  upon  her  husband ; 
while  Asa  Sampson's  were  rolling  about  with  a  strange 
wildness,  and  his  mouth  was  stretched  open  wide 
enough  to  swallow  the  brandy  bottle  whole.  At  last, 
says  Bill, 

"  There  you  have  it  in  black  and  white,  and  there's 
no  mistake  about  it.  It's  all  as  true  as  the  book  of 
Genesis.  I've  been  on  to  the  ground,  and  I've 
measured  off  the  half  a  mile  south,  and  I've  measured 
the  fifty  rods  east,  and  I've  found  the  blue  stone,  bu4 
how  to  measure  the  fifteen  rods  brandy-way,  I'll  die 
if  I  can  tell." 

"  Well,  that's  a  tremendous  great  story,"  said  Asa 
Sampson ;  "  but,  according  to  my  way  of  thinking,  I 
should  rather  have  it  in  black  and  white,  than  tc 
have  it  in  red  and  white.  Somehow  or  other,  I  never 
should  want  to  have  anything  to  do  with  papers  that 
are  signed  with  men's  blood.  I  should  n't  like  to  be 
handling  that  paper  that's  buried  up  in  one  of  them 
pots." 

"  Foh,  that  paper's  nothing  to  us,"  said  Bill ;  "  we 


184 

did  n't  write  it.     I  should  as  lives  take  that  paper  up 
and  read  it,  as  to  read  the  prayer-book." 

"  Mercy  on  us,"  said  Mrs.  Rider  ;  "  read  a  paper 
that's  writ  with  men's  blood,  and  when  the  old  Nick 
is  set  to  watch  it  too  ?  I  would  n't  do  it  for  all  the 
world,  and  husband  shan't  do  it  neither." 

"But  does  it  say  we  must  have  anything  to  do 
with  the  paper,  in  order  to  get  the  money?"  said 
Jonathan. 

"  Not  a  word,"  said  Bill.  "  I  tell  you  that  paper 
has  no  more  to  do  with  us,  than  it  has  with  the  man 
in  the  moon." 

"  But,"  said  Mrs.  Eider,  "  it  does  say  the  old  evil 
one  is  set  there  to  watch  the  money.  And  do  you 
think  I'd  have  my  husband  go  and  dig  for  money 
right  in  the  face  and  eyes  of  old  Nick  himself?  I 
should  rather  be  as  poor  as  Job's  cat  all  the  days  of 
my  life." 

"There's  no  trouble  about  that,"  said  Bill;  "  all 
we've  got  to  do  is  to  hold  our  tongues,  while  we're 
digging,  and  the  old  feller  '11  keep  his  distance,  and 
won't  say  a  word  to  us.  At  any  rate,  I'm  determined 
to  have  the  money,  if  I  can  find  it,  devil  or  no 
devil. 

"But  that  confounded  brandy-way,  I  don't  know 


THE     MONEY-DIGGEES     AND     OLD     NICK.    185 

iiow  to  get  over  that.  That's  worse  than  forty  Old 
Nicks  to  get  along  with." 

"Well,  I'll  tell  you  what  'tis,"  said  Jonathan,  "if 
yon  can  get  within  fifteen  rods  of  the  money,  I  can 
find  it  without  any  help  of  yonr  brandy-way,  that  you 
tell  about." 

"  You  can  ?"  said  Bill,  eagerly. 

"Yes;  if  you'll  carry  me  within  fifteen  rods  of 
where  the  money  is,  I'll  engage  to  find  the  very  spot 
where  it  is  buried  in  less  than  one  hour." 

"  You  will  ?"  said  Bill,  springing  on  his  feet,  and 
giving  Jonathan  a  slap  on  his  shoulder,  "  Can  you 
doit?  Do  tell  us  how." 

"  Yes,  I  can  find  it  with  a  mineral  rod." 

"What's  a  mineral -rod?"  said  Bill.  "Now  none 
of  your  humbugs ;  but  if  you  can  do  it,  tell  us  how." 

"There's  no  humbug  about  it,"  said  Jonathan, 
tartly.  "  I  know  how  to  work  a  mineral  rod,  and  I 
believe  I  can  find  the  money." 

"  But  what  is  a  mineral  rod  ?"  said  Bill. 

"  Why,  don't  you  know  ?  It's  a  green  crotched 
branch  of  witch-hazel,  cut  off  about  a  foot  and  a  hall 
or  two  foot  long.  And  them  that  has  the  power  tc 
work  'em,  takes  the  er.ds  of  the  branches  in  each  hand, 
and  holds  the  othei  end,  where  the  branches  are 


186 

joined  together,  pointing  up  to  the  sky.  And  when 
they  come  near  where  there's  minerals,  or  gold,  or 
silver,  buried  in  the  ground,  the  rod  will  bend  that 
way ;  and  when  they  get  right  over  the  spot,  the  rod 
will  bend  right  down  and  point  towards  the  ground." 

"Now,  is  that  true?"  said  Bill. 

"  True  ?  yes,  every  word  of  it.  Pve  seen  it  done 
many  a  time,  and  I've  done  it  myself.  The  mineral 
rod  won't  work  in  everybody's  hands,  but  it  '11  work 
in  mine,  and  once  I  found  a  broad-axe  by  it  that  was 
lost  in  the  meadow." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Bill,  "  let  us  be  off  forthwith, 
and  not  let  that  money  lie  rusting  in  the  ground  any 
longer.  Why  not  start  off  to-night  ?" 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  but  we  could  start  towards 
night,"  said  Jonathan ;  "  but  I  shall  have  to  go  out 
first  and  hunt  up  a  witch-hazel  tree  to  get  some 
mineral  rods." 

"  It's  my  opinion,"  said  Asa  Sampson,  "  you  had 
better  wait  a  day  or  two,  and  finish  getting  in  your 
hay  before  you  go  ;  for  if  you  should  come  back  with 
your  wagon  filled  fidth  money,  you'll  be  too  confound- 
3d  lazy  ever  to  get  it  in  afterwards." 

"  No,  you  shan't  stir  one  step,"  said  Mrs.  Eider; 
"  till  that  hay  is  all  got  in.  There's  two  loads  out 


THE     MONEY-DIGGERS     AND     OLD     NICK.    187 

that's  made  enough  to  get  in  now,  and  you  know 
there's  as  much  as  one  load  to  mow  yet." 

Mrs.  Rider's  will  was  all  the  law  or  gospel  there 
was  about  the  house.  Of  course  her  husband  did  not 
undertake  to  gainsay  her  dictum,  but  told  Bill  they 
could  not  possibly  get  ready  to  start  before  the  next 
night,  as  that  hay  would  have  to  be  taken  care  of 
first. 

"Well,  then,"  said  Bill,  "call  all  hands,  and  let'b 
go  at  it.  Come,  where's  your  scythe  ?  I'll  go  and 
finish  mowing  that  grass  down  in  the  first  place." 

"  But  can  you  mow  ?"  said  Jonathan,  doubtingly. 

"  Mow  ?  I  guess  you'd  think  so,  if  you  should  see 
me  at  it.  I  worked  on  a  farm  six  weeks  once,  when 
I  was  a  boy,  and  learnt  to  pull  every  rope  in  the 
ship." 

All  hands  repaired  to  the  field.  Bill  Stanwood  took 
a  scythe  and  went  to  thrashing  about  as  though  he 
were  killing  rattlesnakes.  He  soon  battered  up  one 
scythe  against  the  rocks,  and  presently  broke  another 
by  sticking  it  into  a  stump.  It  was  then  agreed  that 
he  should  change  works  with  Asa  Sampson,  and  help 
get  the  hay  into  the  barn,  while  Asa  mowed.  The 
business  then  went  on  briskly.  The  boys  and  girls 
were  out  spreading  and  raking  hay,  and  Mrs.  Rider 


188  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

herself  went  on  to  the  mow  in  the  barn  to  help  stow 
it  away.  The  next  day  the  haying  was  finished,  and 
all  things  were  in  preparation  to  start  for  Jewell's 
Island.  Mrs.  Rider,  however,  whose  imagination  had 
been  excited  by  the  idea  of  Old  Nick  being  set  to 
guard  the  money,  was  still  unwilling  her  husband 
should  go ;  and  it  was  not  till  he  had  solemnly 
promised  to  bring  her  home  a  new  silk  gown,  and  a 
new  pair  of  morocco  shoes,  and  some  stuff  to  make 
her  a  new  silk  bonnet,  that  she  finally  gave  her  con- 
sent. When  the  matter  was  finished,  she  took  a  large 
firkin  and  filled  it  with  bread  and  cheese,  and  boiled 
beef,  and  doughnuts,  for  them  to  eat  on  their  way ; 
and  Bill  said  there  was  a  great  plenty  to  last  till  they 
got  down  to  the  pots  of  money,  and  after  that  they 
could  buy  what  they  wanted. 

Asa  Sampson,  who  was  at  work  for  Mr.  Rider, 
agreed  to  go  with  them  for  his  regular  daily  pay,  with 
this  proviso :  if  they  got  the  money,  they  were  to 
make  him  a  present  outright  of  a  hundred  dollars, 
which  he  said  would  be  as  much  money  as  he  should 
ever  know  what  to  do  with. 

As  a  parting  caution,  Mrs.  Rider  charged  them  to 
remember  and  not  speak  while  they  were  digging, 
and  told  them,  lest  some  word  might  slip  out  before 


THE     MONEY-DIGOERS     AND     OLD     NICK.    189 

they  thought  of  it,  they  had  better  each  of  them  tie  a 
handkerchief  over  their  mouths  when  they  begun  to 
dig,  and  not  take  it  off  till  they  got  down  to  the 
money.  They  all  agreed  that  it  would  be  an  excel- 
lent plan,  and  they  would  certainly  do  it. 

Mr.  Eider's  old  horse  was  tackled  into  the  wagon 
the  baggage  was  put  on  board,  and  the  three  fortune 
hunters  jumped  in  and  drove  off  for  Falmouth.     It 
was  a  long  and  lonesome  road,  but  the  bright  visions 
of  the  future,  that  were  dancing  before  their  eyes, 
made  it  seem  to  them  like  a  journey  to  Paradise. 

"  K"ow,  Mr.  Rider,"  said  Bill,  "  what  do  you  mean 
to  do  with  your  half  of  the  money,  when  we  get  it  ?" 

"  Well,  I  think  I  shall  take  two  thousand  dollars  of 
it,"  said  Jonathan,  "and  buy  Squire  Dickinson's 
farm,  that  lives  next  neighbor  to  me.  He's  always 
looked  down  upon  me  with  a  kind  of  contempt,  be- 
cause I  was  n't  so  well  off  in  the  world  as  he  was ;  and 
I  should  like  mighty  well  to  get  him  out  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. And  I  guess  he's  drove  for  money  too,  and 
would  be  glad  to  sell  out.  And  now,  neighbor  Stan- 
wood,  I'll  tell  you  what  I  think  you  better  do.  You 
better  buy  a  good  farm  right  up  there  alongside  of 
me,  and  we'll  build  each  of  us  a  large  nice  house,  just 
alike,  and  get  each  of  us  a  first  rate  horse,  and  we'll 


190 

live  together  there,  and  ride  about  and  take  com- 
fort." 

"  By  the  hocus  pocus !"  said  Bill,  "  I  hope  you  don't 
call  that  taking  comfort.  No,  none  of  your  land- 
lubber viges  for  me.  I'll  tell  you  what  I  mean  to  do. 
As  soon  as  I  get  my  money  I  mean  to  go  right  to 
Boston  and  buy  the  prettiest  ship  I  can  find — one 
that  will  sail  like  the  wind — and  I'll  have  three 
mates,  so  I  shan't  have  to  stand  no  watch,  but  go 
below  just  when  I  like  ;  and  I'll  go  cap'n  of  her,  and 
go  away  up  the  Mediterranian,  and  up  the  Baltic. 
And  then  I'll  make  a  vige  straight  round  the  world, 
and  if  I  don't  beat  Captain  Cook  all  to  nothin',  I  think 
it's  a  pity.  And  now  you  better  sell  out  your  old 
farm  up  there  among  the  bushes,  and  go  with  me. 
I'll  tell  you  what  'tis,  shipmate,  you'd  take  more  com- 
fort in  one  month  aboard  a  good  vessel,  than  you 
could  on  a  farm  in  a  whole  year.  What  comfort  is 
there  to  be  found  on  a  farm,  where  you  never  see  any 
thing  new,  but  have  the  same  thing  over  and  over 
forever?  No  variety,  no  change  but  everything 
always  the  same — I  should  get  as  tired  as  death  in  a 
month." 

"  Well,  now,  neighbor,"  said  Jonathan,  "  you  are 
as  much  mistaken,  as  if  you  had  burnt  your  shirt. 


THE     MONEY-DIGGERS     AND     OLD     NICK.    191 

There's  no  business  in  the  world  that  has  so  miich 
variety  and  so  many  new  things  all  the  time,  as 
farming.  In  the  first  place,  in  the  spring  comes 
ploughing  time,  and  then  comes  planting  time,  and 
after  that  hoeing  and  weeding ;  and  then  comes  haying 
time  ;  and  then  reaping  time  ;  and  then  getting  in  the 
corn  and  potatoes.  And  then,  to  fill  up  with  a  little 
fun  once  in  a  while,  we  have  sheep  washing  in  the 
spring,  and  huskings  in  the  fall,  and  breaking  out  the 
roads  after  a  snow  storm  in  the  winter ;  and  some- 
thing or  other  new  most  all  the  time.  When  your 
crops  are  growing,  even  your  fields  look  new  every 
morning ;  while  at  sea  you  have  nothing  new,  but 
the  same  things  over  and  over,  every  day  from  morn- 
ing till  night.  You  do  nothing  but  sail,  sail,  all  the 
time,  and  have  nothing  to  look  at  but  water  from  one 
week's  end  to  another." 

Here  Bill  Stanwood  burst  into  a  broad  loud  laugh, 
and  says  he : — 

"  Well  done,  shipmate.  I  must  say  you  are  the 
greenest  horn  I've  met  with  this  long  time.  ISTo 
variety  and  nothing  new  to  be  seen  in  going  to  sea  J 
If  that  aint  a  good  one  !  The  very  place,  too,  to  see 
everything  new  and  to  learn  everything  that  there 
is  in  the  world.  Why,  only  jest  in  working  the  ship 


192 

there's  more  variety  and  more  to  be  seen  than  there 
is  in  working  a  whole  farm,  to  say  nothing  about  going 
all  over  the  world,  and  seeing  everything  else.  Even 
in  a  dead  calm  you  can  see  the  whales  spouting  and 
the  porpoises  rolling  about.  And  when  the  wind  is 
slack,  you  have  enough  to  do  to  stick  on  your  canvas. 
You  run  up  your  topgallan-sels,  and  your  rials,  and 
out  with  your  studden-sels,  and  trim  your  sheets,  and 
make  all  the  sails  draw.  And  then  you  walk  the 
deck  and  watch  the  changes  of  the  wind,  and  if  a 
vessel  heaves  in  sight  what  a  pleasure  there  is  in 
taking  your  spy-glass  and  watching  her  motions  till 
she's  out  of  sight  again  ;  or,  if  she  comes  near  enough, 
how  delightful  'tis  to  hail  her  and  learn  where  she's 
from,  and  where  she's  bound,  and  what  her  captain's 
name  is !  And  when  it  comes  on  a  blow,  what  a 
stirring  time  there  is !  All  hands  are  out  to  take  in 
the  light  sails ;  down  goes  the  topgallan'  yards  ;  and 
if  the  wind  increases  you  begin  to  reef;  and  if  it 
comes  on  to  blow  a  real  snorter,  you  furl  all  sails  and 
scud  away  under  bare  poles.  And  sometimes,  when 
the  storm  is  over,  you  come  across  some  poor  fellows 
on  a  wreck,  half  starved  or  half  froze  to  death,  and 
then  you  out  with  your  boat  and  go  and  take  'em  off, 
and  nurse  'em  up  and  bring  'em  to.  'Now  here's  some 


THE     MONEY-DIGGEBS     AND     OLD     KICK.    193 

life  in  all  this  business,  some  TOriety,  and  something 
interesting,  compared  with  what  there  is  on  a  farm. 
You  better  pull  up  stakes  when  we  get  our  money, 
sell  your  old  fan  a  and  go  to  sea  along  with  me." 

"Well,"  said  Jonathan,  "I'll  tell  you  what  'tis 
neighbor,  I'll  leave  it  out  to  Mr.  Sampson  here  to  say 
which  is  the  best  and  pleasantest  business,  farming  or 
going  to  sea.  If  he  says  farming,  you  shall  pay  the 
toddy  at  the  next  tavern,  and  if  he  says  going  to  sea, 
I'll  pay  it." 

"Done,"  said  Bill.  "ISTow,  Asa,  give  us  your 
opinion." 

"  Well,"  said  Asa,  "  all  I  can  say  is,  if  going  to  sea 
isn't  pleasanter  business  than  farming  there  isn't  much 
pleasure  in  it,  that's  all." 

"  But  that  aint  deciding  anything  at  all,"  said  Bill ; 
"  you  must  tell  us  right  up  and  down  which  is  the  best 
business." 

"  Well,  if  I  must  say,"  said  Asa,  "  I  should  say 
going  to  sea  was  the  best  and  the  pleasantest." 

"There,  I  told  you  so,"  said  Bill.  "  Now  how  fdr 
is  it  to  the  next  tavern  ?  I  want  that  toddy." 

"  It's  jest  to  the  top  of  -this  hill,"  said  Jonathan ; 
*  and  bein'  the  hill's  pretty  steep,  we'll  jump  out  and 

walk  up,  and  gire  the  old  horse  a  chance  to  brea*k»." 

9 


194  *  W  A  Y     D  O  W  N     EAST. 

So  out  they  jumped,  and  Jonathan  dro  re  the  horse 
up  the  hill,  while  Bill  and  Asa  loitered  along  a  little 
behind. 

"  How  upon  arth,"  said  Bill,  "  come  you  to  decide 
in  favor  of  going  to  sea  ?  Did  you  ever  go  to  sea  ?" 

"  I  ?  No  I  never  set  foot  aboard  a  vessel  in  all  my 
life." 

"  Then  how  come  you  to  know  so  much  about  going 
to  sea?" 

"  Poh !"  said  Asa>  "  all  I  knew  about  it  was,  I  knew 
Mr.  Rider  had  some  money,  and  I  knew  you  had  n't, 
and  I  wanted  the  toddy.  How  could  I  decide  any 
other  way  ?" 

"  True  enough,"  said  Bill ;  "  you  was  exactly  right." 

When  they  reached  the  tavern,  Mr.  Rider  paid  the 
toddy,  and,  after  giving  the  old  horse  a  little  proven- 
der and  a  little  time  to  breathe,  the  trio  pursued  their 
journey  with  renewed  spirits  and  livelier  hopes. 
When  they  reached  the  sea-shore  at  Falmouth,  the 
sun  was  about  an  hour  high.  They  immediately  hired 
a  small  row  boat  for  two  or  three  days,  leaving  their 
horse  and  wagon  in  pawn  for  it,  and  prepared  to 
embark  for  Jewell's  Island,  which  was  about  ten  miles 
distant.  Jonathan  was  a  little  fearful  about  being  out 
upon  the  water  in  the  night,  and  was  for  waiting  till 


THE     MONEY-DIGGKBS     AND     OLD     NICK.    195 

next  morning  and  taking  the  day  before  them  for  the 
voyage  to  &ie  island.  But  Bill  said  no,  "  they  could 
go  half  the  distance  before  sunset,  and  as  there  was  a 
good  moon,  there  would  be  no  difficulty  in  going  the 
other  half  after  sunset ;  and  he  was  determined  to  be 
on  the  island  that  night,  let  the  consequence  be  what 
'twould." 

They  accordingly  put  their  baggage  on  board,  and 
jumped  in,  and  rowed  off.  Bill  first  took  the  helm, 
and  Jonathan  and  Asa  sat  down  to  the  oars.  But 
being  totally  unaccustomed  to  a  boat,  they  made  sad 
work  of  rowing,  and  in  spite  of  all  of  Bill's  teaching 
and  preaching,  scolding  and  swearing,  their  oars 
splashed  up  and  down  alternately  in  the  water,  resem- 
bling more  in  their  operation  two  flails  upon  the  barn 
floor  than  two  oars  upon  the  ocean.  Their  little  bark 
made  but  slow  headway,  and  Bill  soon  got  out  of 
patience,  and  told  Jonathan  to  take  the  helm  and  he 
would  row  himself.  Jonathan,  however,  succeeded 
no  better  at  the  helm  than  at  the  oar ;  for  the  boat 
was  soon  heading  in  all  directions,  and  making  as 
crooked  a  track  as  was  ever  made  by  the  veritable 
sea-serpent  himself.  So  that  Bill  was  obliged  to  call 
Jonathan  from  the  helm,  and  manage  to  keep  the  boat 
as  straight  as  he  could  by  rowing.  The  slow  progress 


196  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

they  made  under  aH  these  disadvantages  brought  it  to 
midnight  before  they  reached  the  island.  They  how- 
ever succeeded  at  last  in  gaining  the  little  harbor,  and 
it  being  about  high  water  they  drew  their  boat  upon 
the  beach,  and  walked  up  on  the  island  towards  a 
fisherman's  hut,  which  Bill  had  frequented  upon  his 
former  visit  to  the  place.  The  moon  had  set,  and  the 
night  was  now  somewhat  dark.  As  they  wound  their 
way  along  through  the  bushes  and  under  the  tall  trees, 
not  a  sound  was  to  be  heard,  save  the  low  sullen  roar 
of  the  ocean,  which  came  like  delicious  music  to  the 
ears  of  Bill  Stanwood,  while  to  Jonathan  and  Asa  it. 
added  a  still  deeper  gloom  to  the  silence  and  dark- 
ness of  the  night. 

They  had  walked  but  a  short  distance  when  a  dim 
light  glittered  through  the  trees,  and  told  them  that 
the  fisherman's  hut  was  near. 

"  Ah,"  said  Bill,  "  old  Mother  Newbegin  is  up.  1 
believe  she  never  goes  to  bed  ;  for  go  there  what  time 
of  night  you  will,  you  w  <11  always  find  her  padding 
about  the  room  with  an  old  black  night-cap  on,  putting 
dishes  to  rights  in  the  closet,  or  sweeping  up  the  floor, 
or  sitting  down  and  mending  her  husband's  clothes. 
She  looks  more  like  a  witch  than  she  does  like  0 
humai  creetur,  and  sometimes  I've  almost  though! 


THE    MONEY-DIOGEKS    AND    OLD     NICK.     197 

she  had  something  to  do  about  guarding  the  money 
that's  buried  on  the  island." 

"  Well,  ain't  there  some  other  house  about  here," 
said  Asa,  "  that  we  can  go  to  ?  Somehow,  it  seems  to 
me  I  should  n't  like  to  get  quite  so  near  that  old  hag, 
if  there's  any  witchcraft  about  her." 

"There's  no  other  house  very  near,"  said  Bill; 
"  and,  besides,  I  think  it's  best  to  go  in  and  see  old 
Mother  Newbegin.  For  if  she  is  a  witch,  it's  no  use 
to  try  to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  her ;  and  if  we  keep 
the  right  side  of  her  and  don't  get  her  mad,  maybe 
she  may  help  us  a  little  about  finding  the  money." 

They  approached  the  house,  and  as  they  passed  the 
little  low  window,  they  saw  by  the  red  light  of  a  pitch 
knot,  that  was  burning  on  the  hearth,  the  old  woman 
sitting  and  roasting  coffee,  which  she  was  stirring 
with  a  stout  iron  spoon.  They  stopped  a  little  and 
reconnoitered.  The  glare  of  the  light  fell  full  on  the 
old  woman's  face,  showing  her  features  sharp  and 
wrinkled,  her  skin  brown,  and  her  eyes  black  and  fiery. 
Her  chin  was  leaning  on  one  hand,  and  the  other  was 
busily  employed  in  stirring  the  coffee,  while  she  was 
talking  to  herself  with  a  solemn  air,  and  apparently 
with  much  earnestness.  Her  black  night-cap  was  on, 
and  fastened  with  a  piece  of  twine  under  her  chin. 


198 

i 
and  the  tight  sleeves  of  her  frock  sat  close  to  her  long 

bony  arms,  while  her  bare  feet  and  bird-claw  toes 
projected  out  in  full  view  below  the  bottom  of  her  dress. 

"  I  swow,"  said  Asa,  "I  believe  she  has  got  a  cloven 
foot.  Let's  be  off ;  I  should  rather  go  back  and  sleep 
in  the  boat  than  to  go  in  here  to-night." 

"  Poh!"  said  Bill,  "that's  only  the  shadow  of  her 
foot  you  see  on  the  floor ;  she  has  n't  got  any  more  of 
a  cloven  foot  than  you  have  Come,  I'm  going  in 
whether  or  no." 

With  that  he  gave  a  loud  rap  at  the  door. 

"  Who's  there  ?"  screamed  the  old  woman. 

"  A  friend,"  said  Bill. 

"  Well,  who  be  ye  ?  What's  your  name  ?  I  shan't 
open  the  door  till  I  know  who  you  be." 

"  Bill  Stanwood,"  said  the  sailor. 

"  Oh,  is  it  you,  Bill  ?  Come  in  then,"  said  the  old 
woman  unfastening  the  door,  and  throwing  it  open. 

"  So  you're  after  money  again,  aint  ye  ?"  said  the 
old  woman,  as  they  entered  the  house ;  "  and  you've 
brought  these  two  men  with  you  to  help  you,  and 
that's  what  you  are  here  for  this  time  of  night." 

"  I  swow,"  said  Asa,  whispering  to  Bill  Stanwood, 
"  let's  be  off,  she  knows  all  about  it." 

"  Hold  your  tongue,  you  fool,"  said  Bill ;  "  if  she 


THE     MONEY-DIGGERS     AND     OLD    NICK.   199 

* 

knows  all  about  us  we  may  as  well  be  here  as  any 
where  else." 

Asa  trembled  a  little,  but  finally  took  a  seat  on  a 
beneh  near  the  door,  ready  to  run,  in  case  matters 
should  grow  desperate. 

"  Well,"  said  the  old  woman,  "  if  you  get  the  money, 
you'll  have  to  work  hard  for  it.  There's  been  a  good 
many  tried  for  it  before  you ;  and  there's  been  two 
men  here  hunting  all  over  the  island  since  you  was 
here  before.  They  dug  round  in  a  good  many  places, 
and  my  old  man  thinks  they  found  some,  for  they 
give  him  half  a  dollar  for  fetching  their  boat  back 
when  she  went  adrift,  and  he  said  the  half  dollar  was 
kind  of  rusty,  and  looked  as  though  it  had  been  buried 
in  the  ground.  But  I've  no  idea  they  got  a  dollar. 
It  isn't  so  easy  a  matter ;  Old  ISTick  takes  better  care 
of  his  money  than  all  that  comes  to." 

"  Where  is  your  old  man,"  said  Bill.  "  Seems  to 
me  he's  always  away  when  I  come." 

"The  Lord  knows  where  he  is,"    said   the   old 

woman;  "he's  been  out  a  fishing  this  three  days,  and 

was  to  a  been  home  last  night.   I've  been  down  to  the 

^hore  three  times  to  day  to  see  if  his  boat  was  in  sight 

>ut  could  n't  see  nothin'  of  him." 

"  Well,  aint  you  afraid  he's  lost  i"  said  Bill. 


""What!  old  Mike  Newbegin,  my  old  man,  lost? 
No,  not  he.  The  wind  always  favo  -S  him  when  he 
gets  ready  to  come  home,  let  it  be  blowing  which 
way  'twill.  If  it's  blowing  right  der  d  ahead,  and  he 
pulls  up  anchor  and  starts  for  hon.e,  it  will  come 
round  in  five  minutes  and  blow  a  a  air  wind  till  he 
gets  clear  into  the  harbor." 

Here  Asa  whispered  to  Bill  again,  declaring  his 
opinion  that  the  old  woman  was  a  Adtch,  if  nothing 
WSP8C,  and  proposing  to  leave  the  house  and  seek 
shelter  for  the  night  somewhere  else.  But  Bill  reso- 
lutely opposed  all  propositions  of  the  kind,  and  Asa, 
oeing  too  timid  to  go  alone,  was  compelled  to  stay 
and  make  the  best  of  it." 

"  Well,  come,  old  lady,"  said  Bill,  "  you  can  give 
us  a  berth  to  lay  down  and  take  a  nap  till  morning." 

""Why,  yes,"  said  the  old  woman,  "there's  room 
enough  in  'tother  room.  If  anybody  wants  to  sleep, 
I  always  let  'em,  though,  for  my  \  art,  I  can't  see 
what  good  it  does  'em.  I  think  it's  throwing  away 
time.  I  don't  think  there's  any  nee  d  of  any  body's 
sleeping  more  than  once  or  twice  a  week,  and  then 
not  more  than  an  hour  at  once ;  an  h  mr  of  sleep  is  ae 
good  as  a  month  at  any  time." 

This  strange  doctrine  about  sleep  caused  Asa's 


THE     MONEY-DIGGERS     AND     OLD     NICK.    201 

i 

knees  to  tremble  worse  than  ever,  as  he  followed  Bill 
and  Jonathan  into  the  other  room,  where  they  found 
a  mattress  of  straw  and  some  blankets,  and  laid  down 
to  rest.  Pill  and  Jonathan  soon  fell  into  a  comfort- 
able snore ,  but  Asa  thought  if  there  was  no  sleep  for 
Mother  ISTewbegin  there  was  none  for  him.  At  least 
he  felt  little  inclined  to  trust  himself  asleep  in  the 
house  while  she  was  awake.  Accordingly  he  turned 
and  rolled  from  side  to  side,  for  two  long  hours,  but 
could  get  no  rest.  He  sat  up  in  bed.  By  a  crack 
under  the  door  he  perceived  there  was  a  faint  light 
still  glimmering  in  the  other  room.  He  walked  softly 
towards  the  door  and  listened.  He  could  occasion- 
ally hear  the  catlike  footsteps  of  the  old  woman  pad- 
ding across  the  floor.  Once  he  thought  she  came 
close  to  the  door,  and  he  drew  back  lightly  on  his  tip- 
toes to  the  bedside.  He  wondered  how  Bill  and 
Jonathan  could  sleep  so  quietly,  and  stepping  to  the 
other  side  of  the  room,  he  seated  himself  on  a  chest 
by  a  low  window  containing  three  panes  of  seven  by 
nine  glass,  the  rest  of  the  space  being  filled  up  with 
boards.  Here  he  sat  revolving  over  in  his  mind  the 
events  of  the  day,  and  of  the  night  thus  far,  and  more 
and  mor«  wishing  himself  safely  at  home,  money  or 

no  money      The  night  was  still  dark  and  gloomy,  but 

9* 


202  ' 

lie  could  now  and  then  see  a  star  as  he  looked  from 
the  little  window,  and — 

Oft  to  the  east  his  weary  eyes  he  cast, 

And  wish'd  the  lingering  dawn  would  glimmer  forth  at  last. 

And  at  last  it  did  glimmer  forth  ;  and  presently  the 
grey  twilight  began  to  creep  into  the  room,  and  trees, 
and  bushes,  and  rocks,  as  he  looked  from  the  window, 
began  to  appear  with  distinctness.  Asa  roused  his 
companions,  and  they  prepared  to  sally  forth  for  their 
day's  enterprise.  In  leaving  the  house,  they  had  to 
go  through  the  room  in  which  they  had  left  mother 
Newbegin  when  they  retired.  On  entering  this  room 
they  found  the  old  woman  appearing  precisely  as  they 
had  left  her,  gliding  about  like  a  spirit,  apparently 
busy,  though  they  could  hardly  tell  what  she  was 
doing.  She  seemed  a  little  surprised  at  their  rising 
so  early,  and  told  them  if  they  would  wait  half  an 
hour  she  would  have  some  breakfast  for  them.  They 
gave  her  many  thanks,  but  told  her  they  had  provi- 
sions with  them,  and,  as  their  business  was  important, 
they  must  b6  moving. 

"  Ah,  that  money,  that  money,"  said  the  old  woman 
shaking  her  head  ;  "  look  out  sharp,  or  Old  Nick  will 
make  a  supper  of  one  of  you  to-night " 


THE     MONEY-DIGGERS     AND     OLD    NICE.    203 

The  party  left  the  house  and  started  for  the  little 
harbor.  Asa  seemed  rather  wild  at  this  last  remark 
of  the  old  woman,  and  looked  back  over  his  shoulder 
as  they  departed,  till  they  had  gone  several  rods  from 
the  house.  When  they  reached  the  harbor,  they 
found  the  boat  and  all  things  as  they  had  left  them, 
and  proceeded  forthwith  to  commence  the  important 
work  of  the  day.  They  set  their  compass  at  high- 
water  mark  at  the  highest  point  of  the  harbor,  and 
took  a  rod  pole  and  measured  off  half  a  mile  from 
that  point  due  south.  They  then  set  their  compass  at 
this  place  and  measured  off  fifty  rods  due  east.  And 
here  they  found  the  blue  stone,  as  described  in  the 
"  documents "  which  Bill  Stan  wood  had  received 
from  the  pirate.  The  eyes  of  the  whole  party  bright- 
ened as  they  came  to  it. 

"  There  'tis,"  said  Bill,  "  so  fur,  exact  as  I  told  you, 
aint  it?" 

"  Yes,  fact,  to  a  hair's  breadth,"  said  Jonathan. 

"  Well,  now  if  you  can  get  the  fifteen  rods  brandy- 
way,  you'll  find  the  rest  jest  as  I  told  you,"  said  BilL 

They  then  measured  of  fifteen  rods  from  the  blue 
Btone  in  various  directions,  and  set  up  little  stakes, 
forming  a  sort  o  '  circle  round  the  stone  at  fifteen  rods 
distance  from  it. 


"  .Now,"  said  Jonathan,  "  I'll  take  my  mineral  rod 
and  walk  round  on  this  ring,  and  if  tl  e  money  is  here 
I  shall  find  the  spot." 

He  then  took  his  green  crotched  wit  ch-hazel  bough, 
and  holding  the  top  ends  of  the  twigt  in  his  hand,  so 
that  the  part  where  they  joined  woul  1  point  upward, 
began  his  mysterious  march  round  the  circle,  while 
Bill  and  Asa  walked,  one  on  each  side  of  him,  at  a 
little  distance,  and  watched  the  mineral  rod.  Some- 
times it  would  seem  to  incline  a  lit  le  one  way,  and 
sometimes  a  little  the  other,  but  nothing  very  remark- 
able occurred  till  they  had  gone  abort  three-quarters 
round  the  circle,  when  the  rod  seeme  1  to  be  agitated 
somewhat  violently,  and  began  to  lend  perceptibly 
towards  the  ground,  and  at  last  it  ber.t  directly  down- 
wards. 

"  There,"  said  Jonathan,  "  do  you  see  that  ?  My 
gracious,  how  strong  it  pulls  I  Here  a  the  place  for 
bargains  ;  drive  down  a  stake." 

"  I  swow,"  said  Asa,  "  I  never  see  the  like  of  that 
before.  I  begin  to  think  there's  r.omething  in  it 
now." 

"Something  in  it!"  said  Bill  Staawood,  slapping 
his  hands  together ;  "  did  n't  I  tell  you  if  we  could 
only  find  tts  fifteen  rode  brandy-way,  I  wouldn't 


THE     MONEY-DIGGERS     AND     OLD     NICK.    205 

thank  King  George  to  be  my  grandfather  ?  Now,  Mr. 
Rider,  jest  hand  out  your  brandy  bottle.  "We  have  n't 
•had  a  drop  to-day ;  and  since  we've  worked  brandy- 
way  so  well  your  way,  I  should  like  now  to  work  it 
in  Asa's  way  a  little." 

"  I  second  that  motion,"  said  Asa,  "  for  I'm  as  dry 
as  a  herrin'." 

They  accordingly  took  a  social  drink  of  brandy  and 
water,  and  drank  health  and  success  to  him  who 
should  first  hit  the  pot  of  money ;  and  having  sat 
down  under  a  tree  and  eaten  a  hearty  meal  from  their 
basket,  they  returned  to  mother  Eewbegin's  to  pre- 
pare for  the  labors  of  the  coming  night.  They 
brought  from  their  boat  three  shovels,  a  pick-axe,  and 
a  crowbar.  The  old  woman  eyed  these  preparations 
askance,  and  as  she  turned  away,  Asa  thought  he 
could  discern  on  her  features  the  deep  workings  of  a 
suppressed  laugh.  The  afternoon  wore  away  slowly, 
for  they  were  impatient  to  behold  their  treasures ;  and 
twice  they  walked  to  the  spot,  which  was  to  be  the 
scene  of  their  operations,  to  consult  and  decide  on 
the  details  to  be  observed.  They  concluded,  in  order 
to  be  sure  of  hitting  the  pots,  it  would  be  best  to 
make  their  excavation  at  least  ten  or  twelve  feet  in 
diameter,  and  in  order  to  afford  ample  time  to  get 


206 

down  to  them  at  about  midnight,  they  decided  to 
commence  operations  soon  after  dark. 

"  And  now,  about  not  speaking  after  we  begin  to 
dig,"  said  Bill ;  "  how  shall  we  work  it  about  that  ? 
for.  you  know,  if  one  of  us  happens  to  speak  a  word, 
the  jig  is  up  with  us." 

"  I  think  the  safest  way  would  be,"  said  Asa,  "  to 
cut  our  tongues  out,  and  then  we  shall  be  .sure  not  to 
speak.  Howsomever,  whether  we  cut  our  tongues 
out  or  not,  if  you  won't  speak,  I'll  promise  you  I 
won't ;  for  I've  no  idea  of  giving  the  old  feller  a 
chance  to  carry  me  off,  I  can  tell  you." 

"Well,"  said  Jonathan,  "I  guess  we  better  tie 
some  handkerchiefs  tight  round  our  mouths,  as  my 
wife  said,  and  we  shan't  be  so  likely  to  forget  our- 
selves." 

This  arrangement  was  finally  concluded  upon,  and 
they  returned  to  the  house.  That  night  they  took 
supper  with  mother  Newbegin,  and  endeavored,  by 
paying  her  a  liberal  sum  for  the  meal,  and  by  various 
acts  of  courtesy,  to  secure  her  good  graces.  She 
seemed  more  social  than  she  had  been  before,  and 
even,  at  times,  a  sort  of  benevolent  expression 
beamed  from  her  countenance,  which  caused  Asa  to 
pluck  up  a  comfortable  degree  of  courage.  But 


THE     MONEY-DIGGEKS     AND     OLD     NICK.     207 

when  it  became  dark,  and  they  shouldered  their  tools 
to  depart,  the  old  woman  fixed  her  sharp  eyes  upon 
them  with  such  a  wild  sort  of  a  look,  that  Asa  began 
to  cringe  and  edge  along  towards  the  door,  and  when 
she  added,  with  a  grave  shake  of  the  head,  that  they 
had  better  look  out  sharp,  or  the  Old  Nick  would  have 
them  before  morning,  his  knees  trembled,  and  he 
once  more  wished  himself  at  home. 

The  party  arrived  at  the  spot.  And  first,  according 
to  previous  arrangements,  they  tied  handkerchiefs 
over  their  mouths.  They  then  measured  a  circle 
round  the  stake,  of  twelve  feet  in  diameter,  and  took 
their  shovels  and  commenced  throwing  out  the  earth. 
The  night  was  still  and  calm,  and  though  the  atmos- 
phere was  not  perfectly  clear,  the  starlight  was  suffi- 
cient to  enable  them  to  pursue  their  labors  with 
facility.  They  soon  broke  ground  over  the  whole 
area  which  they  had  marked  out,  and  diligently, 
shovelful  by  shovelful,  they  raised  the  gravelly  soil 
and  threw  it  beyond  the  circle.  In  half  an  hour  they 
had  sunk  their  whole  shaft  nearly  two  feet,  and  were 
getting  along  so  far  quite  comfortably,  with  bright 
hopes  and  tolerably  quiet  nerves.  No  sound  broke 
upon  the  stilness  around  them,  save  the  sound  of 
their  own  shovels  against  the  stones  and  gravel,  and 


208 

the  distant  roar  of  the  chafing  ocean.  But  at  thia 
moment  there  rose  a  v>  ild  and  powerful  wind,  which 
brushed  down  upon  them  like  a  tornado.  The  trees 
bent  and  quivered  before  it,  the  leaves  flew,  and  dust 
and  gravel,  and  light  substances  on  the  ground,  were 
whirled  into  the  air,  and  carried  aloft  and  abroad 
with  great  rapidity.  Among  the  rest,  Asa  Sampson's 
straw  hat  was  snatched  from  his  head  and  flew  away 
like  a  bird  in  the  air.  Asa  dropt  his  shovel,  and 
sprang  from  the  pit,  and  gave  chase  with  all  his 
might.  After  following  it  about  fifty  rods,  it  touched 
the  ground,  and  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  catch  it. 
He  returned  to  his  companions,  whom  he  found  stand- 
ing awe-struck,  holding  their  own  hats  on,  and  rub- 
bing the  dust  from  their  eyes.  It  was  but  a  few 
minutes,  however,  before  the  extreme  violence  of  the 
wind  began  to  abate  and  they  were  enabled  to  pursue 
their  labors.  Still  the  wind  was  wild  and  gusty. 
They  had  never  known  it  to  act  so  strangely,  or  to  cut 
ftp  such  mad  pranks  before.  Sometimes  it  would  be 
blowing  strongly  in  one  direction,  and  in  one  minute 
it  would  change  and  blow  as  powerfully  in  the  other ; 
and  sometimes  it  would  whisk  round  and  round  them 
like  a  whirlwind,  making  the  gravel  they  had  thrown 
but  fly  like  hailstones.  Black,  heavy,  and  angry  look- 


THE     MONEY-DIGGERS     AND     OLD     NICK.    209 

ing  clouds  kept  floating  by,  and  sometimes  they  heard 
the  distant  rumbling  of  thunder.  They  had  never 
seen  such  clouds  before.  They  appeared  to  them  like 
huge  living  animals,  that  glared  at  them,  as  they  flew 
over,  with  a  hundred  eyes.  Asa  sometimes  thought 
they  looked  like  monstrous  great  sea-turtles,  and  he 
fancied  he  could  see  huge  legs  and  claws  extending 
from  their  sides ;  and  once  he  was  just  on  the  point 
of  exclaiming  to  his  companions,  and  telling  them  to 
look  out,  or  that  monstrous  turtle  would  hit  them  with 
his  claw  as  he  went  over ;  but  the  handkerchief  over 
his  mouth  checked  him,  and  reminded  him  that  he 
Must  not  speak,  and  he  only  sank  down  close  to  the 
bank  where  he  was  digging.  The  clouds  grew  thicker 
and  darker,  but  instead  of  adding  to  the  darkness  of 
the  night,  they  seemed  to  emit  a  sort  of  broken,  flick- 
ering twilight,  sufficient  to  enable  them  to  see  the 
changes  in  each  other's  countenances,  and  to  behold 
objects  rather  indistinctly  at  some  rods'  distance. 
Each  perceived  that  the  others  were  pale  and  trem- 
bling, and  each  endeavored,  by  signs  and  gestures, 
and  plying  his  shovel  with  firmness  and  resolution,  to 
encourage  his  fellows  to  perseverance. 

It  was  now  about  eleven  o'clock,  and  having  mea- 
sured the  depth  they  hae1  gone  they  found  it  to  be 


210 


good  four  feet.  One  foot  more  would  bring  tfyem  to 
the  money ;  and  they  fell  to  work  with  increased 
vigor.  At  this  moment  a  heavy  crash  of  thunder 
broke  over  their  heads,  and  big  drops  of  rain  began 
to  spatter  down.  Though  nearly  stunned  by  the 
report,  they  recovered  in  a  minute  and  pursued  their 
labors.  The  rain  increased  rapidly,  and  now  began 
to  pour  down  almost  in  one  continued  sheet. 
Although  the  earth  below  them  was  loose  and  open, 
and  drank  in  the  water  very  fast,  still  so  powerfully 
did  the  rain  continue  to  descend,  that  in  a  short  time 
they  found  it  standing  six  inches  round  their  feet. 
One  of  them  now  took  a  pail  and  dipped  out  water, 
while  the  others  continued  to  shovel  gravel.  Their 
resolution  seemed  to  increase  in  proportion  to  the 
obstacles  they  met,  and  gravel  and  water  were  thrown 
out  in  rapid  succession.  The  force  of  the  rain  soon 
began  to  abate,  and  they  would  in  a  short  time  have 
accomplished  the  other  foot  of  digging,  had  not  the 
loose  soil  on  the  sides  of  the  shaft  begun  to  come  in  by 
means  of  the  wet,  and  accumulate  at  the  bottom  faster 
than  they  could  throw  it  out.  Several  times  it  gained 
upon  them,  in  this  way,  to  the  depth  of  some  inches. 
While  they  were  battling  with  this  difficulty,  and 
looking  up  at  the  bank  to  see  where  it  would  come  in 


THE     MONEY-DIGGERS     AND     OLD     NICK.    211 

next,  a  tremendously  great  black  dog  came  and  stood 
upon  the  brink,  and  opened  his  deep  red  jaws,  and 
began  to  bark  with  terrific  power.  They  shrunk 
back  from  the  hideous  animal,  and  raised  their  shovels 
to  fright  him  off ;  but  a  second  thought  told  them 
they  had  better  let  him  alone  and  stick  to  their  work. 
They  measured  their  depth  again,  and  found  it  in 
some  places  four  feet  and  a  half,  and  in  others  almost 
five.  They  again  plied  their  shovels  with  all  dili- 
gence, and  as  they  stepped  to  and  fro  at  their  work, 
that  deep-mouthed  dog  kept  up  his  deafening  bark, 
and  leaping  round  the  verge  of  the  pit,  and  keeping 
on  the  side  nearest  them,  whenever  they  approached 
the  side  to  throw  out  a  shovelful  of  earth,  he  would 
spring  and  snap  at  their  heads  like  a  hungry  lion. 
Asa  seized  the  pickaxe,  partly  with  a  view  of  defend- 
ing himself  against  the  dog,  and  partly  for  the  pur- 
pose of  striking  it  down  to  see  if  he  could  hit  the 
pots.  He  commenced  driving  the  sharp  point  of  it 
into  the  earth,  passing  round  from  one  side  of  the  pit 
to  the  other,  till  at  last  he  hit  a  solid  stone;  and 
striking  round  for  some  distance  they  perceived  the 
stone  was  large  and  flat.  Bill  and  Jonathan  made 
their  shovels  fly,  and  soon  began  to  lay  the  surface  of 
+he  stone  bare.  They  noticed  when  they  first  struck 


212 

the  stone  that  the  dog  began  to  bark  with  redoubled 
fierceness,  and  as  they  proceeded  to  uncover  it,  he 
seemed  to  grow  more  and  more  enraged.  As  he  did 
not  jump  down  into  the  pit,  however,  they  continued 
to  keep  out  of  his  reach  and  pursue  their  work. 
Having  laid  the  stone  bare,  and  dug  the  earth  away 
from  the  edges,  they  found  it  to  be  smooth  and  flat, 
about  four  feet  squaie,  and  six  or  eight  inches  in 
thickness.  They  got  the  crow-bar  under  one  side, 
and  found  they  could  pry  it  up.  They  gradually 
raised  it  about  six  inches,  and  putting  something  under 
to  hold  it,  they  began,  by  means  of  a  stick,  to  explore 
the  cavity  beneath  it.  In  moving  the  stick  round 
amongst  the  loose  sand  under  the  stone,  they  soon  felt 
four  hard  round  substances,  which  they  were  sure 
must  be  the  four  iron  pots.  Presently  they  were 
enabled  to  rattle  the  iron  covers,  which  gave  a  sound 
that  could  not  be  mistaken.  At  last  they  got  the 
stick  under  one  of  the  covers  and  shoved  it  into  the 
pot,  and  they  heard  the  jingle  of  money.  Each  one 
took  hold  of  the  stick  and  tried  it ;  there  was  no  mis- 
take ;  they  all  poked  the  money  with  the  stick,  and 
they  all  heard  it  jingle.  All  that  now  remained  was 
to  remove  the  great  stone.  It  was  very  heavy,  but 
they  seized  it  with  resol  ite  determination,  and  all  got 


THE     MONEY-DIGGERS     AND     OLD     NIUK.    213 

hold  on  one  side  with  the  intention  of  turning  it  up 
on  the  edge.  They  lifted  with  all  their  might,  and 
were  but  just  able  to  start  it.  They  however  made 
out  to  raise  it  slowly  till  they  could  rest  it  a  little  on 
their  knees,  where  it  became  stationary.  It  seemed 
doubtful  whether  they  would  possibly  be  able  to  raise 
it  on  the  edge,  and  it  seemed  almost  equally  difficult  to 
let  it  down  without  crushing  their  own  feet.  To  add 
to  their  embarrassment,  the  dog  was  barking  and  snap- 
ping more  fiercely  than  ever,  and  seemed  just  upon 
the  point  of  springing  upon  them.  At  this  critical 
moment,  a  person  came  up  to  the  edge  of  the  pit,  and 
bid  the  dog  "  Get  out."  The  dog  was  hushed,  and 
drew  back. 

"I  say,  neighbors,"  continued  the  stranger,  "shall 
I  give  you  a  lift  there  ?" 

"  Yes,  quick,"  said  Asa,  "  I  can't  hold  on  another 
minute." 

The  stranger  jumped  down  behind  them  and  put 
his  hand  against  the  stone.  In  a  moment  the  ponder- 
ous weight  of  the  stone  was  changed  to  the  lightness 
of  a  dry  pine  board,  and  it  flew  out  of  the  pit,  carry- 
ing the  three  money  diggers  with  it,  head  over  heels, 
to  the  distance  of  two  rods. 

They  picked  themselves  up  as  speedily  as  they 


WAY     DOWN     EAST. 

could,  and  ran  for  their  lives  towaids  the  houso 
When  they  arrived  they  found  mother  Newbegin  up, 
as  usual,  and  trotting  about  the  room.  They  called 
to  her  and  begged  her  to  open  the  door  as  quick  as 
possible.  As  the  old  woman  let  them  in,  she  fixed 
her  sharp  eyes  upon  them  and  exclaimed, 

"  Well,  if  you've  got  away  alive  you  may  thank 
me  for  it.  I've  kept  the  Bible  open  for  you,  and  a 
candle  burning  before  it,  ever  since  you  left  the  house ; 
and  I  knew  while  the  candle  was  shining  on  the  Bible 

w  * 

for  you  he  could  n't  touch  you." 

They  were  too  much  agitated  to  enter  into  con- 
versation on  the  subject,  and  being  exceedingly 
exhausted,  they  laid  down  to  rest,  but  not  to  sleep. 
The  night  passed  wearily  away,  and  morning  came. 
The  weather  was  clear  and  pleasant,  and  after  taking 
some  refreshments  they  concluded  to  repair  again  to 
the  scene  of  their  labors,  and  see  if  the  money  was 
still  there  and  could  be  obtained.  Asa  was  very 
reluctant  to  go,  "  He  did  n't  believe  there  was  a 
single  dollar  left."  But  Bill  Stanwood  was  resolute. 
Go  he  would.  Jonathan  said  "  he  might  as  well  die 
one  way  as  another,  for  he  never  should  dare  to  go 
home  again  without  carrying  his  wife's  new  gown 
and  morocco  shoes." 


THE    MONE<r-DIQGEKS     AND    OLD    HICK.    215 

So,  after  due  consultation,  they  started  again  for 
the  money-hole.  On  arriving  there,  they  found  their 
tools  and  the  general  appearance  of  the  place  just  as 
they  had  left  them.  There  was  the  great  flat  stone, 
lying  about  two  rods  from  the  pit.  And  on  looking 
into  the  pit,  they  observed,  under  the  place  where  the 
stone  had  laid,  four  large  round  holes  in  the  sand,  all 
of  which  were  much  stained  with  iron  rust.  They 
got  down  and  examined  the  place.  There  had  evi- 
dently been  iron  vessels  there ;  but  they  were  gone, 
money  and  all. 

"  Come,"  said  Asa,  "  this  place  smells  rather  too 
strong  of  brimstone  ;  let  us  be  going." 


216  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

PETEK  PUNCTUAL. 

The  names  usedMn  the  following  narrative  are  of  course  fictitious ; 
but  the  incidents  all  occurred  substantially  as  here  related,  and  the 
parties  are  respectable  gentlemen  recently  living  and  doing  busi- 
ness in  this  bustling  city  of  New  York.  The  writer  had  the  account 
directly  from  the  lips  of  the  principal  actor. 

SOME  few  years  ago,  Peter  Punctual,  an  honest  and 
industrious  young  fellow  from  Yankee  land — I  sa^ 
Yankee  land,  but  I  freely  confess  that  is  merely  an 
inference  of  mine,  drawn  from  circumstances  of  this 
story  itself;  but  if  my  readers,  after  perusing  it,  do 
not  come  to  the  same  conclusion,  they  may  set  him 
down  as  coming  from  any  other  land  they  please ;  but 
for  myself,  were  I  on  a  jury,  and  under  oath,  I  would 
bring  him  in  a  Yankee.  This  same  Peter  Punctual, 
some  few  years  ago,  came  into  New  York,  and 
attempted  to  turn  a  penny  and  get  an  honest  living  by 
procuring  subscribers  to  various  magazines  and  peri- 
odicals, on  his  own  hook.  That  is,  he  would  receive  a 
quantity  of  magazines  from  a  distant  publisher,  at  a 


PETER     PUNCTUAL.  217 

discount,  and  get  up  Ms  own  list  of  subscribers  about 
the  city,  and  serve  them  through  the  year  at  the 
regular  subscription  price,  which  would  leave  the 
amount  of  the  Gaid  discount  a  clear  profit  in  his 
pocket,  or  rather  a  compensation  for  his  time  and 
labor.  There  are  many  persons  in  this  city  who 
obtain  a  livelihood  in  the  same  way. 

Peter's  commissions  being  small,  and  his  capital 
still  smaller,  he  was  obliged  to  transact  his  business 
with  great  care  and  circumspection,  in  order  to  make 
both  ends  meet.  He  adopted  a  rule,  therefore,  to 
make  all  his  subsaribers  pay  their  year's  subscription 
in  advance.  Such  things  could  be  done  in  those  days 
when  business  was  brisk,  and  the  people  were 
strangers  to  "  herd  times."  In  canvassing  for  sub- 
scribers, one  day,  through  the  lower  part  of  the  city 
and  in  the  principal  business  streets,  he  observed  a 
store  which  had  t.ae  air  of  doing  a  heavy  business,  and 
read  upon  the  si^pi  over  the  door,  "  Solomon  Sharp, 
Importer."  The  field  looked  inviting,  and  in  Peter 
went  with  his  sa  niples  under  his  arm,  and  inquired 
for  Mr.  Sharp.  The  gentleman  was  pointed  out  to 
him  by  the  clerk?,  and  Peter  stepped  up  and  asked 
him  if  he  would  not  like  to  subscribe  for  some  maga- 
zines. 

10 


218 

"What  sort  of  ones  have  you  got  there?'  said 
Mr.S. 

"  Three  or  four  different  kinds,"  said  Peter,  laying 
the  specimens  on  the  desk  before  him — "  please  to 
look  at  them  and  suit  yourself." 

Sharp  tumbled  them  over  and  examined  them  one 
after  another,  and  at  last  took  up  "Buckingham's 
New  England  Magazine,"  published  at  Boston. 

"What  are  your  terms  for  this?"  said  he ;  "I  don't 
know  but  I  would  subscribe  for  this." 

"Five  dollars  a  year  in  advance,"  said  Peter,  "to 
oe  delivered  carefully  every  month  at  your  store  or 
house." 

"  But  I  never  pay  in  advance  for  these  things,"  said 
Sharp.  "  It's  time  enough  to  pay  for  a  thing  when 
vou  get  it.  I'll  subscribe  for  it,  if  you  have  a  mind 
*o  receive  your  pay  at  the  end  of  the  year,  and  not 
otherwise." 

"That's  against  my  rule,"  said  Peter ;  "I have  all 
my  subscribers  pay  in  advance." 

"  Well,  it's  against  my  rule  to  pay  for  anything 
before  I  get  it,"  said  Sharp ;  "  so  if  you  have  n't  a 
mind  to  take  my  subscription,  to  be  paid  at  the  end 
of  the  year,  you  won't  get  it  at  all.  That's  the  long 
and  the  short  of  the  matter." 


PETER     PUNCTUAL.  219 

Peter  paused  a  litt]0,  and  queried  with  himself  as 
to  what  he  had  better  do.  The  man  was  evidently 
doing  a  large  business,  and  was  undoubtedly  rich — a 
wholesale  dealer  and  an  importer — there  could  not 
possibly  be  any  danger  of  losing  the  subscription  in 
such  a  case :  and  would  it  not  be  better  to  break  over 
his  rule  for  once,  than  to  lose  so  good  a  subscriber. 

"  Well,  what  say  ?"  said  Sharp;  "do  as  you  like; 
but  those  are  my  only  terms.  I  will  not  pay  for  a 
thing  before  I  get  it." 

"  On  the  whole,"  said  Peter,  "  I  have  a  good  mind 
to  break  over  my  rule  this  time,  for  I  don't  like  to 
lose  a  good  subscriber  when  I  can  find  one.  I  believe 
I'll  put  your  name  down,  sir.  Where  will  you  have 
it  left?" 

"  At  my  house,"  said  Mr.  Sharp,  which  was  about 
a  mile  and  a  halt'  from  his  store,  away  up  town. 

The  business  being  thus  concluded,  Peter  took  up 
his  magazines,  bade  Mr.  Sharp  good  morning,  and 
left  the  store.  No  further  personal  intercourse 
occurred  between  them  during  the  year.  But  Peter, 
who  was  his  own  carrier,  as  well  as  canvasser,  regu- 
larly every  month  delivered  the  New  England  Maga- 
zine at  Mr.  Sharp's  door.  And  in  a  few  days  after 
the  year  expired,  he  made  out  his  bill  for  the  five  dol- 


220 

lars,  and  called  at  Mr.  Sharp's*  store  for  the  money, 
He  entered  with  as  much  confidence  that  he  should 
receive  the  chink  at  once,  as  he  would  have  had  in 
going  with  a  check  for  the  like  sum  into  the  Bank  of 
the  United  States,  during  that  institution's  palmiest 
days.  He  found  Mr.  Sharp  at  his  desk,  and  presented 
him  the  bill.  That  gentleman  took  it  and  looked  at 
it,  and  then  looked  at  Peter. 

"Oh!  ah,  good  morning,"  said  he,  "you  are  the 
young  man  who  called  here  on  this  business  nearly  a 
year  ago.  "Well,  the  year  has  come  round,  has  it?" 

"  Yes,  I  believe  it  has,"  said  Peter. 

"  Well,  bills  of  this  kind,"  said  Mr.  Sharp,  "  are 
paid  at  the  house.  We  don't  attend  to  tliern  here ; 
you  just  take  it  to  the  houst^  any  time  when  you  are 
passing,  and  it  will  be  settled." 

"  Oh,  very  well,  sir,"  said  Peter,  bowing,  and  left 
the  store.  "  Doing  too  large  a  business  at  the  store, 
I  suppose,"  he  continued,  to  himself,  as  he  walked  up 
the  street,  "to  attend  to  little  things  of  this  kind. 
Don't  like  to  be  bothered  with  'em,  probably." 

But  Peter  thought  he  might  as  well  make  a  finish 
of  the  business,  now  he  was  out ;  so  he  went  directly 
to  the  house,  and  rung  at  the  door.  The  servant  girl 
soon  made  her  appearance. 


PETER     PUNCTUAL.  221 

"  Mrs.  Sharp  within  ?"  said  Peter. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  the  girl. 

"  Jest  cany  this  bill  to  her,  if  you  please,  and  ask 
her  if  she  will  hand  you  the  money  for  it." 

The  girl  took  the  bill  into  the  house,  and  presently 
returned  with  the  answer,  that  "  Mrs.  Sharp  says  she 
doesn't  pay  none  of  these  'ere  things  here — -you  must 
carry  it  to  the  store." 

"Please  to  carry  it  back  to  Mrs.  Sharp,"  said 
Peter,  "  and  tell  her  Mr.  Sharp  desired  me  to  bring 
the  bill  here,  and  said  it  would  be  paid  at  the  house." 

This  message  brought  Mrs.  Sharp  herself  to  the  door, 
to  whom  Peter  raised  his  hat  and  bowed  very  politely. 

"  I  have  n't  nothing  at  all  to  do  with  the  bills  here 
at  the  house,"  said  the  lady ;  c  they  must  be  carried 
to  the  store— that's  the  place  to  attend  to  them." 

"Well,  ma'am,"  said  Peter,  "I  carried  it  to  the 
store,  and  presented  it  to  Mr.  Sharp,  and  he  told  me 
to  bring  it  to  the  house  and  you  would  pay  it  here, 
and  that  he  could  n't  attend  to  it  at  the  store." 

"  But  he  could  n't  mean  that  I  should  pay  it,"  said 
Mrs.  Sharp,  "  for  he  knows  I  have  n't  the  money." 

"  But  he  said  so,"  said  Peter. 

"  Well  then  there  must  be  some  mistake  about  it," 
said  the  lady.  . 


222  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  ma'am,"  said  Peter,  "  it's 
possible  there  may  be,"  and  he  put  the  bill  in  his 
pocket,  bowed,  and  left  the  house. 

"  It  is  very  queer,"  thought  Peter  to  himself  as  he 
walked  away  a  little  vexed.  "  I  can't  conceive  how 
there  could  be  any  mistake  about  it,  though  it  is  pos- 
sible there  may  be.  There  could  n't  be  any  mistake 
on  my  part,  for  I'm  sure  I  understood  him.  Maybe 
he  thought  she  had  money  at  the  house  when  she 
had  n't.  I  guess  it  will  all  come  out  right  enough  in 
the  end." 

Consoling  himself  with  these  reflections,  Peter 
Punctual  thought  he  would  let  Mr.  Sharp  rest  two  01 
three  days,  and  not  show  any  anxiety  by  calling  again 
in  a  hurry.  He  would  not  be  so  unwise  as  to  offend 
a  good  subscriber,  and  run  the  hazard  of  losing  him, 
by  an  appearance  of  too  much  haste  in  presenting  his 
bills.  Accordingly,  in  about  three  days,  he  called 
again  at  Mr.  Sharp's  store,  and  asked  him  in  a  low 
voice,  so  that  no  one  should  overhear,  if  it  was  con- 
venient for  him  to  take  that  little  bill  for  the  maga- 
zine to-day. 

"  But  I  told  you,"  said  Mr.  Sharp,  "to  carry  that 
bill  to  the  house  ;  I  can't  attend  to  it  here." 

"  Yes,  sir,  so  I  understood  you,"  said  Peter,  "  and  1 


PETER     PUNCTUAL.  223 

carried  it  to  the  house,  and  Mrs.  Sharp  said  she 
could  n't  pay  it  there,  for  she  had  no  money,  and  I 
must  bring  it  to  the  store." 

"  Oh,  strange  I"  said  Mr.  Sharp  ;  "  well,  she  did  n't 
properly  understand  it  then.     But  I  am  too   much 
engaged  to  attend  to  you  to-day  ;  you-  call  V«^M*»« 
call  at  the  house  sometime,  when  I  am  there." 

Upon  this,  he  turned  to  his  desk  and  began  ki 
write  with  great  earnestness,  and  Peter  left  the  store. 
The  affair  began  to  grow  a  little  vexatious,  and 
Peter  felt  a  little  nettled.  Still,  he  supposed  that 
people  doing  such  very  large  business  did  find  it  diffi- 
cult to  attend  to  these  little  matters,  and  doubtless  it 
would  be  set  right  when  he  should  call  again. 

After  waiting  patiently  a  couple  of  weeks,  Peter 
called  again  at  Mr.  Sharp's  store.  When  he  entered 
the  door,  Mr.  Sharp  was  looking  at  a  newspaper  ;  but 
on  glancing  at  Peter,  he  instantly  dropped  the  paper, 
ind  fell  to  writing  at  his  desk  with  great  rapidity. 
Peter  waited  respectfully  a  few  minutes,  unwilling  to 
disturb  the  gentleman  till  he  should  appear  to  be  a 
little  more  at  leisure.  But  after  waiting  some  time 
without  seeing  any  prospect  of  Mr.  Sharp's  completing 
the  very  pressing  business  before  him,  he  approached 
him  with  deference,  and  asked  if  it  would  be  conve* 


234 

nlent  for  him  to  take  that  little  bill  for  the  magazine 
to-day.    Sharp  turned  and  looked  at  PC  ter  very  sternly. 

"  I  can't  be  bothered  with  these  lit  ie  things,"  said 
he  "  when  I  am  so  much  engaged.  I  am  exceedingly 
busy  to-day — a  good  many  heavy  orders  waiting — • 
you  must  call  at  the  house,  and  hand  the  bill  to  me  or 
my  wife,  no  matter  which."  And  1  e  turned  to  his 
desk,  and  continued  to  write,  without  saying  anything 
more. 

Peter  began  to  think  he  had  got  hold  of  a  hard 
customer :  but  he  had  no  idea  of  givi  ig  up  the  chase. 

He  called  at  the  house  several  time  3  afterward,  but 
Mr.  Sharp  never  happened  to  be  at  1  lome.  Once  he 
ventured  to  send  the  bill  again  by  the  girl  to  Mrs. 
Sharp,  who  returned  for  answer,  that  she  had  nothing 
to  do  with  such  bills  ;  he  must  carry  It  to  the  store. 

At  last,  after  repeated  calls,  he  fc  and  Mr.  Sharp 
one  day  at  home.  He  came  to  the  door,  and  Peter 
presented  the  bill.  Mr.  Sharp  expressed  some  sur- 
prise and  regret  that  he  had  come  away  from  the 
store,  and  forgot  to  put  any  money  in  his  pocket. 
Peter  would  have  to  call  some  other  day.  Accord- 
ingly, Peter  Punctual  retired,  with  a  full  determin- 
ation to  call  some  other  day,  and  that  not  very  far 
distant ;  for  it  had  now  been  several  months  that  ha 


PETEK     PUNCTUAL  225 

had  been  beaten  back  and  forth  like  a  shuttle-cock 
between  Mr.  Sharp's  store  and  Mr.  Sharp's  house, 
and  he  was  getting  to  be  rather  tired  of  the  game. 

Having  ascertained  from  the  girl  at  what  hour  the 
family  dined,  he  called  the  next  day  precisely  at  the 
dinner  hour.  He  rung  at  the  door,  and  when  the 
girl  opened  it,  Peter  stepped  into  the  hall. 

"  Is  Mr.  Sharp  in  ?"  said  Peter. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  the  girl ;  "  he's  up  stairs.  I'll 
speak  to  him  if  you  want  to  see  him." 

"  Yes,"  said  Peter,  "  and  I'll  take  a  seat  in  the 
parlor  till  he  comes  down." 

As  he  said  this,  Peter  walked  into  the  parlor  and 
seated  himself  upon  an  elegant  sofa.  The  parlor  was 
richly  furnished  with  Brussels  carpet,  the  best  of 
mahogany  furniture,  a  splendid  piano,  &c.,  &c. ;  and 
in  the  back  parlor,  to  which  folding  doors  were  open, 
everything  appeared  with  corresponding  elegance. 
A  table  was  there  spread,  upon  which  dinner  seemed 
to  be  nearly  ready.  Presently  the  girl  returned  from 
the  chamber,  and  informed  Peter,  that  Mr.  Sharp 
said  "  it  was  jest  the  dinner  hour  now,  and  he  would 
have  to  call  again." 

"  Please  to  go  and  tell  Mr.  Sharp,"  said  Peter, "  that 

I  must  see  him,  and  I'll  wait  till  he  comes  down." 

10* 


226 

The  girl,  carried  the  message,  and  Mr.  Sharp  ejoon 
made  his  appearance  in  the  parlor.  A  frown  passed 
over  his  brow  as  he  looked  at  Peter  and  saw  him  sit- 
ting so  much  at  ease,  and  apparently  so  much  at 
home,  upon  the  sofa.  Peter  rose  and  asked  him 
politely  if  it  was  convenient  for  him  to  take  that  little 
bill  to-day. 

"  No,"  said  Sharp,  "  it  is  not ;  and  if  it  was,  I 
would  n't  take  it  at  this  hour.  It's  a  very  improper 
time  to  call  upon  such  an  errand  just  as  one  is  going 
to  sit  down  to  dinner.  You  must  call  again ;  but 
don't  call  at  dinner  time  ;  or  you  may  drop  into  the 
store  sometime,  and  perhaps  I  may  find  time  to  at 
tend  to  it  there." 

"  Well,  now,  Mr.  Sharp,"  said  Peter,  with  rather  a 
determined  look,  "  I  can't  stand  this  kind  of  business 
any  longer,  that's  a  fact.  I'm  a  poor  man,  and  I  sup 
pose  you  are  a  rich  one.  I  can't  afford  to  lose  five 
dollars,  and  I'm  too  poor  to  spend  any  more  time  in 
running  after  it  and  trying  to  collect  it.  I  must  eat, 
as  well  as  other  folks,  and  if  you  can't  pay  me  the 
five  dollars  to-day,  to  help  me  pay  my  board  at  my 
regular  boarding-house,  I'll  stay  here  and  board  it 
out  at  your  table." 

"  You  will,  will  you  ?'  said  Sharp,  looking  dagger^. 


PETEE     PUNCTUAL.  227 

and  stepping  toward  Peter.  "  it  you  give  me  a  word 
of  your  impudence,  you  may  find  it'll  be  a  long  time 
before  you  collect  your  bill." 

"  It's  been  a  long  time  already,"  said  Peter,  "  and  I 
can't  afford  to  wait  any  longer.  My  mind  is  made 
up  ;  if  you  don't  pay  me  now,  I'm  going  to  stay  here 
and  board  it  out." 

Sharp  colored,  and  looked  at  the  door,  and  then  at 
Peter. 

"Come,  come,  young  man,"  said  he  advancing 
with  rather  a  threatening  attitude,  toward  Peter,  "  the 
sooner  you  leave  the  house  peaceably  the  better." 

"  ISTow,  sir,"  said  Peter,  fixing  his  black  eyes  upon 
Sharp,  with  an  intenseness  that  he  could  not  but  feel, 
"  I  am  a  small  man,  and  you  are  considerable  of  a 
large  one ;  but  my  mind  is  made  up.  I  am  not  going 
to  starve,  when  there's  food  enough  that  I  have  an 
honest  claim  upon." 

So  saying,  he  took  his  seat  again  very  deliberately 
upon  the  sofa.  Sharp  paused;  he  looked  agitated 
and  angry ;  and  after  waiting  a  minute,  apparently 
undecided  what  to  do,  he  left  the  parlor  and  went  up 
stairs  In  a  few  minutes,  the  servant  rung  for  dinner. 
Mrs.  Sharp  came  into  the  dining  room  and  took  her 
peat  at  the  head  of  the  table.  Mr.  Sharp  followed, 


228 

and  seated  himself  opposite  his  lady ;  and  between 
them,  and  on  the  right  hand  of  Mrs.  Sharp,  sat  another 
lady,  probably  some  friend  or  relativa  of  the  family. 
When  they  were  well  seated,  and  Mr.  Sharp  was 
beginning  to  carve,  Peter  walked  01 1  of  the  parlor, 
drew  another  chair  up  to  the  table,  and  seated  himself 
very  composedly  opposite  the  last-mentioned  lady. 
Mr.  Sharp  colored  a  good  deal,  but  \  ept  on  carving. 
Mrs.  Sharp  stared  very  wildly,  first  a:  Peter  and  then 
at  her  husband. 

"What  in  the  world  does  this  mean?"  said  she. 
"  Mr.  Sharp,  I  did  n't  know  we  were  1  o  have  company 
to  dinner." 

"We  are  not,"  said  the  husband  "This  young 
man  has  the  impudence  to  take  his  sSat  at  the  table 
unasked,  and  says  he  is  going  to  board  out  the  amount 
of  the  bill." 

"  Well,  really,  this  is  a  pretty  pieco  of  politeness," 
said  Mrs.  Sharp,  looking  very  hard  a:  Peter. 

"Madam,"  said  Peter,  "hunger  will  drive  a  man 
through  a  stone  wall.  I  must  have  my  board  some- 
where." 

ISTo  reply  was  made  to  this,  and  th<3  dinner  went  on 
without  any  farther  reference  to  Peter  at  present 
Mr  Sharp  helped  his  wife,  and  then  the  other  lady 


PETEK     PUNCTUAL.  229 

and  then  himself,  and  they  all  fell  to  eating.  Peter 
looked  around  him  for  a  plate  and  knife  and  fork,  but 
there  were  none  on  the  table  but  what  were  in  use. 
Peter,  however,  was  not  to  be  baffled.  He  reached  a 
plate  of  bread,  and  tipping  the  bread  upon  the  table 
cloth,  appropriated  the  plate  for  his  own  convenience. 
He  then  took  possession  of  the  carving  knife  and  fork, 
helped  himself  bountifully  to  meat  and  vegetables, 
and  commenced  eating  his  dinner  with  the  greatest 
composure  imaginable.  These  operations  on  the  part 
of  Peter,  had  the  effect  to  suspend  all  operations  for 
the  time  on  the  part  of  the  rest  of  the  company.  The 
ladies  had  laid  down  their  knives  and  forks,  and  were 
staring  at  Peter  in  wild  astonishment. 

"  For  mercy's  sake,  Mr.  Sharp,"  said  the  lady  of  the 
house,  "  can't  we  pick  up  money  enough  about  the 
house  to  pay  this  man  his  five  dollars  and  send  him 
off  ?  I  declare  this  is  too  provoking.  I'll  see  what  I 
can  find." 

With  that  she  rose  and  left  the  room.  Mr.  Sharp 
presently  followed  her.  They  returned  again  in  a 
minute,  and  Mr.  Sharp  laid  a  five  dollar  bill  before 
Peter,  and  told  him  he  would  thank  him  to  leave  the 
house.  Peter  examined  the  bill  to  see  if  it  was  a  good 
one,  and  very  quietly  folded  it  and  put  it  into  his 


230  "W4Y     DOWN     EAST. 

pocket.  He  then  drew  out  a  little  pocket  mkstand 
and  a  piece  of  paper,  laid  it  upon  the  table  before 
him,  wrote  a  receipt  for  the  money,  which  he  handed 
to  Mr.  Sharp,  rose  from  the  table,  bowed  to  the  com- 
pany and  retired,  thinking  as  he  left  the  house  that  he 
had  had  full  enough  of  the  custom  of  Solomon  Sharp, 
the  importer. 

Peter  Punctual  still  followed  his  vocation  of  circu- 
lating magazines.  He  had  no  intention  of  ever 
darkening  the  door  of  Mr.  Solomon  Sharp's  store 
again,  but  somehow  or  other,  two  or  three  years  after, 
as  he  was  canvassing  for  subscribers  in  the  lower  part 
of  the  city,  he  happened  to  blunder  into  the  same 
store  accidentally,  without  noticing  the  name  upon 
the  door.  ISTor  did  he  discover  his  mistake,  until  he 
had  nearly  crossed  the  store  and  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  Mr.  Sharp  himself,  who  was  at  his  accustomed 
seat  at  the  desk  where  Peter  had  before  so  often  seen 
him.  Peter  thought,  as  he  had  got  fairly  into  the 
store,  he  would  not  back  out;  so  he  stepped  up  to 
Mr.  Sharp  without  a  look  of  recognition,  and  asked 
if  he  would  not  like  to  subscribe  for  some  magazines. 
Mr,  Sharp,  who  either  did  not  recognize  Peter,  or 
chose  not  to  appear  to  recognize  him,  took  the  maga- 
zines and  looked  at  them,  and  found  a  couple  he  said 


PETER     PUNCTUAL.  331 

he  would  like  to  take,  and  inquired  the  teims.  They 
were  each  three  dollars  a  year  in  advance. 

"  But  I  don't  pay  in  advance  for  anything,"  said 
Sharp.  "  If  you  have  a  mind  to  leave  them  at  my 
house,  to  be  paid  for  at  the  end  of  the  year,  you  may 
put  me  down  for  these  two." 

"No/'  said  Peter,  "  I  don't  wish  to  take  any  sub- 
scribers, but  those  who  pay  in  advance." 

Saying  this,  he  took  up  his  specimens,  and  was 
going  out  the  door,  when  Mr.  Sharp  called  him 
back. 

"  Here  young  man,  you  may  leave  these  two  at  any 
rate,"  said  he,  "  and  here's  your  advance,"  handing 
Mm  the  six  dollars. 

"  Where  will  you  have  them  left  ?"  said  Peter. 

"  At  my  house,  up  town,"  said  Mr.  Sharp,  describ- 
ing the  street  and  number. 

The  business  being  completed,  Peter  retired,  much 
astonished  at  his  good  luck.  He  again  became  a 
monthly  visitor  at  Mr.  Sharp's  door,  where  he  regu- 
larly delivered  to  the  servant  girl  the  two  magazines. 
Two  or  three  months  after  this,  when  he  called  one 
day  on  his  usual  round,  the-*girl  told  him  that  Mr. 
Sharp  wanted  to  see  him,  and  desired  he  would  call 
at  the  store.  Peter  felt  not  a  little  curious  to  know 


232 

what  Mr.  Sharp  might  have  to  say  to  him  ;  so  in  the 
course  of  the  same  day  he  called  at  Mr.  Sharp's 
store. 

"  Good  morning,"  said  Mr.  Sharp  as  Peter  entered ; 
"  come,  take  a  chair,  and  sit  down  here." 

Peter,  with  a  "  good  morning,  sir,"  did  as  he  was 
desired. 

"  Ain't  you  the  young  man,"  said  Mr.  Sharp,  with 
a  comical  kind  of  a  look,  "  who  set  out  to  board  out 
a  subscription  to  the  New  England  Magazine  at  my 
house  two  or  three  years  ago." 

"  Yes,"  said  Peter,  "  I  believe  I'm  the  same  per- 
son who  once  had  the  honor  of  taking  board  at  youi 
house." 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Sharp,  "  I  want  to  give  you  a 
job." 

"  "What  is  it  ?"  said  Peter. 

"  Here,  I  want  you  to  collect  these  bills  for  me, 
said  Mr.  Sharp,  taking  a  bundle  from  his  desk,  "  for 
I'll  be  hanged  if  Jean  ;  I've  tried  till  I'm  tired." 

Whereupon  he  opened  the  bundle  and  assorted  out 
the  bills,  and  made  a  schedule  of  them,  amounting, 
in  the  aggregate,  tc  about  a  thousand  dollars. 

"There,"  said  he  "I  will  give  upon  that  list  ten 
per  cent,  commission  on  all  you  collect ;  and  on  that 


PETEE     P  L^  ACTUAL.  233 

hst  I'll  give  you  twenty-five  per  cent,  on  all  you  col- 
lect. "What  say  you  ?  will  you  undertake  the  job?" 

"  Well,  I'll  try,"  said  Peter,  "  and  see  what  I  can 
do  with  them.  How  soon  must  I  return  them  ?" 

"Take  your  own  time  for  it,"  said  Mr.  Sharp; 
"  I've  seen  enough  of  you  to  know  pretty  well  what 
you  are." 

Peter  accordingly  took  the  bills  and  entered  on  his 
new  task,  following  it  up  with  diligence  and  perseve- 
rance. In  a  few  weeks  he  called  again  at  Sharp's 
store. 

"  Well,"  said  Mr.  Sharp,  "  have  you  made  out  to 
collect  anything  on  those  bills  ?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Peter. 

"  There  were  some  of  the  ten  per  cent,  list  that  1 
thought  it  probable  you  might  collect,"  said  Mr. 
Sharp.  "  How  many  have  you  collected  ?" 

"  All  of  them,"  said  Peter. 

"  All  of  them !"  said  Mr.  Sharp ;  «  well,  fact,  that's 
much  more  than  I  expected.  The  twenty-five  per 
cent,  list  was  all  dead  dogs,  was  n't  it  ?  You  got 
nothing  on  them,  I  suppose,  did  you  ?" 

"Yes,  I  did,"  said  Peter. 

"  Did  you  though  ?    How  much  ?"  said  Sharp. 

« I  got  them  all,"  said  Peter. 


234  WAT     DOWN      £  AST. 

"  Oh,  that's  all  a  joke,"  said  Sharp. 

"No,  it  is  n't  a  joke,"  said  Peter.  "I've  collected 
CY3ry  dollar  of  them,  and  here's  the  money,"  taking 
out  his  pocket-book,  and  counting  out  the  bills. 

Mr.  Sharp  received  the  money  with  the  most  per- 
fect astonishment.  He  had  not  expected  one-half  of 
the  amount  would  ever  be  collected. 

He  counted  out  the  commissions  on  the  ten  per  cent, 
list,  and  then  the  commissions  on  the  twenty-five  per 
cent,  list,  and  handed  the  sum  over  to  Peter.  And 
then  he  counted  out  fifty  dollars  more,  and  asked  Peter 
to  accept  that  as  a  present ;  "partly,"  said  he,  "because 
you  have  accomplished  this  task  so  very  far  beyond 
my  expectations,  and  partly  because  my  acquaintance 
with  you  has  taught  me  one  of  the  best  lessons  of  my 
life.  It  has  taught  me  the  value  of  perseverance  and 
punctuality.  I  have  reflected  upon  it  much  ever 
since  you  undertook  to  board  out  the  bill  for  the 
magazine  at  my  house." 

"  Why  yes,"  said  Peter,  "  I  think  perseverance  and 
punctuality  are  great  helps  in  the  way  of  business." 

"If  every  person  in  the  community,"  said  Mr. 
Sharp,  "  would  make  it  a  point  to  pay  all  of  his  bills 
promptly,  the  moment  they  become  due,  what  a  vast 
improvement  it  would  make  in  the  condition  of 


PETER     PUNCTUAL.  235 

society  all  round.    That  would  put  people  in  a  condi- 
tion, at  all  times,  to  be  Me  to  pay  their  bills  prompt- 

iy." 

We  might  add,  that  Peter  Punctual  afterward 
opened  a  store  in  the  city,  in  a  branch  of  business 
which  brought  Mr.  Sharp  to  be  a  customer  to  him, 
and  he  has  been  one  of  his  best  customers  ever  since, 
paying  all  of  his  bills  promptly,  and  whenever  Peter 
requires  it,  even  paying  in  advance. 


236 


WAY     DOWN     EAST. 


CHAPTEE   X. 

THE    SPECULATOR. 

IN  the  autumn  of  1836,  while  travelling  through  a 
portion  of  the  interior  of  the  State  of  Maine,  I  stopped 
at  a  small  new  village,  between  the  Kennebec  and 
Penobscot  rivers,  nearly  a  hundred  miles  from  the 
sea-board,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  my  horse  a  little 
rest  and  provender,  before  proceeding  some  ten  miles 
farther  that  evening.  It  was  just  after  sunset ;  I  was 
walking  on  the  piazza,  in  front  of  the  neat  new 
tavern,  admiring  the  wildness  of  the  surrounding 
country,  and  watching  the  gathering  shadows  of  the 
grey  twilight,  as  it  fell  upon  the  valleys,  and  crept 
softly  up  the  hills,  when  a  light  one-horse  wagon, 
with  a  single  gentleman,  drove  rapidly  into  the  yard, 
and  stopped  at  the  stable  door. 

"Tom,"  said  the  gentleman  to  the  ostler  as  he 
jumped  from  his  wagon,  "  take  my  mare  out,  rub  her 
down  well,  and  give  her  four  quarts  of  oats.  Be 
spry,  now,  Tom  ;  you  need  n't  give  her  any  water,  for 


THE     SPECULATOR.  237- 

ehe  sweats  like  fury.     I'll  give  her  a  little  when  I  am 
ready  to  start," 

Tom  sprang  with  uncommon  alacrity  to  obey  the 
orders  he  had  received,  and  the  stranger  walked 
toward  the  house.  He  was  a  tall,  middle-aged  gentle- 
man, rather  thin,  but  well  proportioned,  and  well 
dressed.  It  was  the  season  of  the  year  when  the 
weather  began  to  grow  chilly,  and  the  evenings  cold ; 
and  the  frock-coat  of  the  stranger,  trimmed  with  fur, 
and  buttoned  to  the  throat,  while  it  insured  comfort, 
served  also  to  exhibit  his  fine  elastic  form  to  the  best 
advantage.  His  little  wagon,  too,  had  a  marked  air 
of  comfort  about  it ;  there  were  the  spring-seat,  the 
stuffed  cushions,  and  buffalo  robes  ;  all  seemed  to  in-^ 
dicate  a  gentleman  of  ease  and  leisure  ;  while,  on  tt  e 
other  hand,  his  rapid  movements  and  prompt  mannei. 
betokened  the  man  of  business.  As  he  stepped  on  to 
the  piazza,  with  his  long  and  handsome  driving-whip 
in  his  hand,  the  tavern-keeper,  who  was  a  brisk  young 
man,  and  well  understood  his  business,  met  him  with 
a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand,  and  a  familiar  "  How  are 
you,  Colonel  ?  Come,  walk  in." 

There  was  something  about  the  stranger  that 
strongly  attracted  my  attention,  and  I  followed  him 
into  the  bar-room.  He  stepped  up  to  the  bar,  laid 


238 

his  whip  on  the  counter,  and  called  for  a  glass  of 
brandy  and  water,  with  some  small  crackers  and 
cheese. 

"  But  not  going  to  stop  to  supper,  Colonel  ?  Going 
farther  to-night  ?"  inquired  the  landlord,  as  he  pushed 
forward  the  brandy  bottle. 

"  Can't  stop  more  than  ten  minutes,"  replied  the 
stranger;  "just  long  enough  to  let  the  mare  ea't  her 
oats." 

"  Is  that  the  same  mare,"  asked  the  host,  "  that 
you  had  when  you  were  here  last  ?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  colonel :  "  I've  drove  her 
thirty  miles  since  dinner,  and  am  going  forty  miles 
farther,  before  I  stop." 

"  But  you'll  kill  that  mare,  colonel,  as  sure  as 
rates,"  said  the  landlord ;  "  she's  too  likely  a  beast  to 
drive  to  death." 

"  No,  no,"  was  the  reply  ;  u  she's  tough  as  a  pitch- 
knot  ;  I  feed  her  well ;  she'll  stand  it,  I  guess.  I  go 
to  Norridgewock  before  I  sleep  to-night." 

With  a  few  more  brief  remarks,  the  stranger  finish- 
ed his  brandy,  and  crackers  and  cheese ;  he  threw 
down  some  change  on  the  counter,  ordered  his  car- 
riage brought  to  the  door,  and  bidding  his  landlord 
good  night,  jumped  into  his  wagon,  cracked  his  whip 


THE     SPECULATOR.  239 

add  was  off  like  a  bird.  After  he  was  gone,  I  ven- 
tured to  exercise  the  Yankee  privilege  of  asking 
"  who  he  might  be." 

"  That's  Colonel  Kingston,"  said  the  landlord ;  "  a 
queer  sort  of  a  chap  he  is,  too ;  a  real  go-ahead  sort 
of  a  fellow  as  ever  I  met  with ;  does  more  more  busi- 
ness in  one  day  than  some  folks  would  do  in  a  year. 
He's  a  right  good  customer ;  always  full  of  money, 
and  pays  well." 

"What  business  or  profession  does  he  follow?"  I 
asked. 

"  Why,  not  any  particular  business,"  replied  the 
landlord;  "he  kind  o'  speculates  round,  and  sich 
like." 

"  But,"  said  I,  "I  thought  the  speculation  in  timber- 
lands  was  over ;  I  did  n't  know  that  a  single  person 
could  be  found,  now,  to  purchase  lands." 

"  Oh,  it  is  n't  exactly  that  kind  of  speculation,"  said 
the  landlord ;  "  he's  got  a  knack  of  buying  out  folks' 
farms ;  land,  house,  barn,  live  stock,  hay,  and  provi- 
sions, all  in  the  lump." 

"  Where  does  he  live  ?"  said  I. 

"  Oh,  he's  lived  round  in  a  number  of  places,  since 
he's  been  in  these  parts.  He's  been  round  in  these 
towns  only  a  year  :  r  two,  and  it's  astonishing  to  see 


240 

how  much  property  he's  accumulated.  He  stays  in 
Monson  most  of  the  time,  now.  That's  where  he 
came  from  this  afternoon.  They  say  he's  got  a  number 
of  excellent  farms  in  Monson,  and  I'll  warrant  he's  got 
some  deeds  of  some  more  of  'em  with  him,  now,  that 
he's  going  to  carry  to  ISTorridgewock  to-night,  to  put 
on  record." 

I  bade  the  landlord  good  evening,  and  proceeded  on 
my  journey.  "What  I  had  seen  and  heard  of  Colonel 
Kingston,  had  made  an  unwonted  impression  on  my 
mind ;  and  as  Monson  lay  in  my  route,  and  I  was 
expecting  to  stop  there  a  few  days,  my  curiosity  was 
naturally  a  little  excited,  to  learn  something  more  of 
his  history.  The  next  day  I  reached  Monson ;  and  as  I 
rode  over  its  many  hills,  and  along  its  fine  ridges  of 
arable  land,  I  was  struck  with  the  number  of  fine 
farms  which  I  passed,  and  the  evidences  of  thrift  and 
good  husbandry  that  surrounded  me.  As  this  town 
was  at  that-  time  almost  on  the  extreme  verge  of  the 
settlements  in  that  part  of  the  state,  I  was  surprised 
to  find  it  so  well  settled,  and  under  such  good  cultiva- 
tion. My  surprise  was  increased,  on  arriving  at  tho 
centre  of  the  town,  to  find  a  flourishing  and  bnght- 
looking  village,  with  two  or  three  stores,  a  variety  of 
mechanics'  shops,  a  school-house,  and  a  neat  little 


THE     SPECULA  TO  li.  241 

church,  painted  white,  with  green  blinds,  and  sur 
mounted  by  a  b:3ll.  A  little  to  the  westward  of  the 
village,  was  one  of  those  clear  and  beautiful  ponds, 
that  greet  the  eye  of  the  traveller  in  almost  every 
hour's  ride  in  that  section  of  the  country ;  and  on  its 
outlet,  which  ran  through  the  village,  stood  a  mill,  and 
some  small  manufacturing  establishments',  that  served 
to  fill  up  the  picture. 

"Happy  town !"  thought  I,  " that  has  such  a 
delightful  village  for  its  centre  of  attraction,  and  happy 
village  that  is  supported  by  surrounding  farmers  of 
such  thrift  and  industry  as  those  of  Monson !"  All 
this,  too,  I  had  found  within  a  dozen  or  fifteen  miles 
of  Moosehead  Lake,  the  noblest  and  most  extensive 
sheet  of  water  in  New  England,  which  I  had  hitherto 
considered  so  far  embosomed  in  the  deep,  trackless 
forest,  as  to  be  almost  unapproachable,  save  by  the 
wild  Indian  or  the  daring  hunter.  A  new  light  seemed 
to  burst  upon  me ;  and  it  was  a  pleasant  thought  that 
led  me  to  look  forward  but  a  few  years,  when  the  rug- 
ged and  wild  shores  of  the  great  Moosehead  should 
resound  with  the  hum  and  the  song  of  the  husband- 
man, and  on  eve  y  side  rich  farms  and  lively  vilages 
should  be  reflect  )d  on  its  bosom. 

I  had  been  quietly  seated  in  the  village  inn  but  a 
11 


242 

short  time,  in  a  room  that  served  both  for  bar  and 
sitting-room,  when  a  small  man,  with  a  flapped  hat, 
an  old  brown  "  wrapper,"  a  leather  strap  buckled 
round  his  waist,  and  holding  a  goad-stick  in  his  hand, 
entered  the  room,  and  took  a  seat  on  a  bench  in  the 
corner.  His  bright,  restless  eye  glanced  round  the 
room,  and  then  seemed  to  be  bent  thoughtfully  toward 
the  fire,  while  in  the  arch  expression  of  his  counte- 
nance I  thought  I  beheld  the  prelude  to  some  impor 
tant  piece  of  intelligence,  that  was  struggling  for 
utterance.  At  last,  said  he,  addressing  the  landlord, 
"  I  guess  the  colonel  ain't  about  home  to-day,  is  he  ?" 

"  No,"  replied  Boniface,  "  he's  been  gone  since 
yesterday  morning;  he  said  he  was  going  up  into 
your  neighborhood.  Have  n't  you  seen  anything  of 
him  ?" 

"  "Ses,"  said  the  little  man  with  the  goad-stick,  "  I 
see  him  yesterday  afternoon  about  two  o'clock,  start- 
ing off  like  a  streak,  to  go  to  Norridge wock." 

"  Gone  to  Porridge  wock !"  said  the  landlord ; 
"  what  for  ?  He  did  n't  say  nothing  about  going 
when  he  went  away." 

"  More  deeds,  I  guess,"  said  the  little  teamster. 
"He's  worried  Deacon  Stone  out  of  hit  farm,  at 
last" 


THE      SPECULATOR.  24:3 

"He  has  tit  got  Deacon  Stone's  farm,  has  he?'* 
exclaimed  the  landlord. 

"Deacon  Stone's  farm!"  reiterated  an  elderly, 
sober-looking  man,  drawing  a  long  pipe  from  his 
mouth,  which  he  had  until  now  been  quietly  smoking 
in  the  opposite  corner. 

"  Deacon  Stone's  farm  !"  uttered  the  landlady,  with 
upraised  hands,  as  she  entered  the  room  just  in  season 
to  hear  the  announcement. 

"Deacon  Stone's  farm!"  exclaimed  three  or  four 
others,  in  different  parts  of  the  room,  all  turning  an 
eager  look  toward  the  little  man  with  the  goad-stick. 
As  soon  as  there  was  a  sufficient  pause  in  these 
exclamations,  to  allow  the  teamster  to  put  in  anothe1 
word,  he  repeated : 

"  Yes,  he's  worried  the  deacon  out,  at  last,  and 
got  hold  of  his  farm,  as  slick  as  a  whistle.  He's  been 
kind  o'  edging  round  the  deacon  this  three  weeks,  a 
little  to  a  time ;  jest  enough  to  find  out  how  to  get 
the  right  side  of  him;  for  the  deacon  was  a  good 
deal  offish,  and  yesterday  morning  the  colonel  was  up 
there  by  the  time  the  deacon  had  done  breakfast ;  and 
he  got  them  into  the  deacon's  fore  room,  and  shet  the 
door ;  and  there  they  staid  till  dinner  was  ready,  and  had 
waited  for  them  an  hour,  before  they  would  come  out 


And  when  they  had  come  out,  the  job  was  all  done ; 
and  the  deed  was  signed,  sealed,  and  delivered.  I'd 
been  there  abont  eleven  o'clock,  and  the  deacon's 
wife  and  the  gals  were  in  terrible  fidgets  for  fear  of 
what  was  going  on  in  t'other  room.  They  started  to 
go  in,  two  or  three  times,  but  the  door  was  fastened, 
so  they  had  to  keep  out.  After  dinner  I  went  over 
again,  and  got  there  just  before  they  were  out  of  the 
fore  room.  The  deacon  asked  the  colonel  to  stop  to 
dinner,  but  I  guess  the  colonel  see  so  many  sour  looks 
about  the  house,  that  he  was  afraid  of  a  storm  abrew- 
ing ;  so  he  only  ketched  up  a  piece  of  bread  and 
cheese,  and  said  he  must  be  a-goin'.  He  jumped  into 
his  wagon,  and  give  his  mare  a  cut,  and  was  out  of 
sight  in  two  minutes." 

"  How  did  poor  Mrs.  Stone  feel  ?"  asked  the  land- 
lady ;  "  I  should  thought  she  would  a-died." 

"  She  looked  as  if  she'd  turn  milk  sour  quicker  than 
a  thunder-shower,"  said  the  teamster :  "  and  Jane 
went  into  the  bedroom,  and  cried  as  if  her  heart 
would  break.  I  believe  they  did  n't  any  of  'em  make 
out  to  eat  any  dinner,  and  I  thought  the  deacon  felt 
about  as  bad  as  any  of  'em,  after  all ;  for  I  never  see 
him  look  so  kind  o'  riled  in  my  life.  £  Now  Mrs. 
Stone,'  said  he  to  his  wife,  '  you  think  I've  done 


THE     SPECULATOR.  245 

wrong ;  but  after  talking  along  with  Colonel  King- 
ston, I  made  up  my  mind  it  would  be  for  the  best.' 
She  did  n't  make  him  any  answer,  but  begun  to  cry, . 
and  went  out  of  the  room.  The  deacon  looked  as  if 
he  would  sink  into  the  'arth.  He  stood  a  minute  or 
two,  as  if  he  was  n't  looking  at  nothing,  and  then  he 
took  down  his  pipe  off  the  mantel,  and  sat  down  in 
the  corner,  and  went  to  smoking  as  hard  as  he  could 
smoke. 

"  After  a  while,  he  turned  round  to  me,  and  says  he, 
'  Neighbor,  I  don't  know  but  I've  done  wrong.' 
*  Well,'  says  I,  f  in  my  opinion,  that  depends  upon 
what  sort  of  a  bargain  you've  made.  If  you've  got  a 
good  bargain  out  of  the  colonel,  I  don't  see  why  his 
money  isn't  worth  as  much  as  anybody's,  or  why 
another  farm  as  good  as  your'n  is  n't  worth  as  much.' 
'  Yes,'  said  the  deacon,  <  so  -it  seems  to  me.  I've 
got  a  good  bargain,  I  know ;  it's  more  than  the 
farm  is  worth.  I  never  considered  it  worth  more 
than  two  thousand  dollars,  stock,  and  hay,  and  all ; 
and  he  takes  the  whole  jest  as  'tis,  and  gives  me  three 
thousand  dollars.'  *  Is  it  pay  down  ?'  says  I.  c  Yes,' 
says  he,  'it's  all  pay  down.  He  gives  me  three 
hundred  dollars  in  cash  ;  I've  got  it  in  my  pocket ; 
and  then  he  gives  me  an  order  on  Saunders'  store  for 


246 

two  h  indi  3d  dollars ;  that's  as  good  as  money,  you 
know ;  for  we  are  always  wanting  one  thing  or 
another  out  of  his  store.  Then  he  gives  me  a  deed  of 
five  hundred  acres,  of  land,  in  the  Upper  part  of  Ver- 
mont, at  five  dollars  an  acre.  That  makes  up  three 
thousand  dollars.  But  that  is  n't  all ;  he  says  this 
land  is  richly  worth  seven  dollars  an  acre  ;  well  tim- 
bered, and  a  good  chance  to  get  the  timber  down ; 
and  he  showed  me  certificates  of  several  respectable 
men,  that  had  been  all  over  it,  and  they  said  it  was 
well  worth  seven  dollars.  That  gives  me  two  dollars 
clear  profit  on  an  acre,  which  on  five  hundred  acres 
makes  a  thousand  dollars.  So  that  instead  of  three 
thousand  dollars,  I  s'pose  I've  really  got  four  thousand 
for  the  farm.  But  then  it  seems  to  work  up  the  feel- 
ings of  the  women  folks  so,  to  think  of  leaving  it,  after 
we've  got  it  so  well  under  way,  that  I  don't  know 
b'lt  I've  done  wrong.'  And  his  feelings  came  over 
him  so,  that  he  begun  to  smoke  away  again  as  hard 
as  ne  could  draw.  I  did  n't  know  what  to  say  to  him, 
tor  I  did  n't  believe  he  would  ever  get  five  hundred 
dollars  for  his  five  hundred  acres  of  land,  so  I  got  up 
and  went  home." 

As  my  little  goad-stick  teamster  made  a  pause  here, 
the  elderly  man  in  the  opposite  corner,  who  had  sat 


THE     SPECULATOR.  247 

all  this  time  knocking  his  pipe-bowl  on  the  thumbnai , 
of  his  left  hand,  took  up  the  thread  of  discourse. 

"  I'm  afraid,"  says  he,  looking  up  at  the  landlord, 
"  I'm  afraid  Deacon  Stone  has  got  tricked  out  of  his 
farm  for  a  mere  song.  That  Colonel  Kingston,  in  my 
opinion,  is  a  dangerous  man,  and  ought  to  be  looked 
after." 

"  Well,  I  declare  !"  said  the  landlord,  "I'd no  idee 
he  would  get  hold  of  Deacon  Stone's  farm.  That's 
one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  town." 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  man  with  the  pipe,  "  and  that 
makes  seven  of  the  "  best  farms  in  town  that  he's  got 
hold  of  already  ;  and  what  '11  be  the  end  of  it,  I  don't 
know ;  but  I  think  something  ought  to  be  done  about 
it." 

"  Well,  there,"  said  the  landlady,  "I  do  pity  Mrs. 
Stone  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart ;  she'll  never  get 
over  it  the  longest  day  she  lives." 

Here  the  little  man  with  the  goad-stick,  looking  out 
the  window,  saw  his  team  starting  off  up  the  road, 
and  he  flew  out  of  the  door,  screaming  "  Hush  f 
whoa !  hush !"  and  that  was  the  last  I  saw  of  him 
But  my  curiosity  was  now  too  much  excited,  with 
regard  to  Colonel  Kingston's  mysterious  operations, 
and  my  sympathies  for  good  Deacon  Stone,  and  his 


248 

fellow-sufferers,   were  too  thoroughly   awakened,   to 
allow  me  to  rest  without  farther  inqu  iries. 

During  the  days  that  I  remained  in  the  neighbor 
hood,  I  learned  that  he  came  from  Yormont ;  that  he 
had  visited  Monson  several  times  within  a  year  or 
two,  and  had  made  it  his  home  th3re  for  the  last 
few  months  During  that  time  he  had  exercised  an 
influence  over  some  of  the  honest  and  sober-minded 
farmers  of  Monson,  that  was  perfectly  unaccountable. 
He  was  supposed  to  be  a  man  of  wea  th,  for  he  never 
seemed  to  lack  money  for  any  opera  don  he  chose  to 
undertake.  He  had  a  bold,  dashing  air,  and  rather 
fascinating  manners,  and  his  power  over  those  with 
whom  he  conversed  had  become  so  c  anspicuous,  that 
it  was  regarded  as  an  inevitable  consequence  ID 
Monson,  if  a  farmer  chanced  to  get  si  mt  up  in  a  room 
with  Colonel  Kingston,  he  was  a  "  gone  goose,"  and 
sure  to  come  out  well  stripped  of  his  feathers.  He 
had  actually  got  possession  of  seven  or  eight  of  the 
best  farms  in  the  town,  for  about  one  quarter  part  of 
their  real  value, 

It  may  be  thought  unaccountable,  tiat  thriving,  sen- 
sible farmers  could  in  so  many  inste  nces  be  duped ; 
but  there  were  some  extraneous  circumstances  that 
helped  to  produce  the  result.  The  wild  spirit  of  spec 


THE     SPECULATOR.  249 

ulation,  which  had  raged  throughout  the  country  foi 
two  or  three  years,  had  pervaded  almost  eveiy  mind, 
and  rendered  it  restless,  and  desirous  of  change.  And 
then  the  seasons,  for  a  few  years  past,  had  been  cold 
and  unfavorable.  The  farmer  had  sowed  and  had  not 
reaped,  and  he  was  discouraged.  If  he  could  sell,  he 
would  go  to  a  warmer  climate.  These  influences, 
.  added  to  his  own  powers  of  adroitness  and  skill  in 
making  "the  worse  appear  the  better  reason,"  had 
enabled  Colonel  Kingston  to  inveigle  the  farmers  of 
Monson  out  of  their  hard-earned  property,  and  turn 
them,  houseless  and  poor,  upon  the  world. 

The  public  mind  had  become  much  excited  upon 
the  subject,  and  the  case  of  Deacon  Stone  added  fresh 
fuel  to  the  fire.  It  was  in  this  state  of  affairs  that  I 
left  Monson,  and  heard  no  more  of  Colonel  Kingston 
until  the  following  summer,  when  another  journey 
called  me  into  that  neighborhood,  and  I  learned  the 
sequel  to  his  fortunes.  The  colonel  made  but  few 
more  conquests,  after  his  victory  over  Deacon  Stone ; 
and  the  experience  of  a  cold  and  cheerless  winter, 
which  soon  overtook  them,  brought  the  deluded 
farmers  to  their  senses.  The  trifling  sums  of  money 
which  they  received  in  hand,  were  soon  exhausted  in 

providing  necessary  supplies  for  their  families ;  and 

11* 


250 

tlie  property  which  they  had  obtained,  as  principal 
payment  for  their  farms,  turned  out  to  be  of  little  value, 
or  was  so  situated  that  they  could  turn  it  to  no  profit- 
able account.  Day  after  day,  through  the  winter,  the 
excitement  increased,  and  spread,  and  waxed  more 
intense,  as  the  unfortunate  condition  of  the  sufferers 
became  more  generally  known.  "  Colonel  Kingston  " 
was  the  great  and  absorbing  topic  of  discussion,  atr 
the  stores,  at  the  tavern,  at  evening  parties,  and  sleigh- 
rides,  and  even  during  intermission  at  church,  on  the 
Sabbath. 

The  indignation  of  the  people  had  reached  that 
pitch  s  which  usually  leads  to  acts  of  violence. 
Colonel  Kingston  was  now  regarded  as  a  monster, 
preying  upon  the  peace  and  happiness  of  society,  and 
various  were  the  expedients  proposed  to  rid  the  town 
of  him.  The  schoolboys,  in  the  several  districts, 
discussed  the  matter,  and  resolved  to  form  a  grand 
company,  to  snowball  him  out  of  town,  and  only 
waited  a  nod  of  approbation  from  some  of  their 
parents  or  teachers,  to  carry  their  resolutions  into 
effect.  Some  reckless  young  men  were  for  seizing 
him,  and  giving  him  a  public  horse-whipping,  in 
front  of  the  tavern  at  mid-day,  and  in  presence  of  the 
"whole  Tillage.  Others,  equally  violent,  but  less 


THE      SPECULATOR.  251 

daring,  proposed  catching  him  out,  some  dark  even* 
ing,  giving  him  a  good  coat  of  tar-and-feathers,  and 
riding  Mm  out  of  town  on  a  rail.  But  the  older, 
more  experienced,  and  sober-minded  men,  shook  their 
heads  at  these  rash  projects,  and  said  :  "  It  is  a  bad 
plan  for  people  to  take  the  law  into  their  own  hands ; 
as  long  as  we  live  under  good  laws,  it  is  best  to  be 
governed  by  them.  Such  kind  of  squabbles  as  you 
young  folks  want  to  get  into,  most  always  turn  out 
bad  in  the  end." 

So  reasoned  the  old  folks  ;  but  they  were  neverthe- 
less as  eager  and  as  determined  to  get  rid  of  Colonel 
Kingston,  as  were  the  young  ones,  though  more  cau- 
tious and  circumspect  as  to  the  means.  At  last,  after 
many  consultations  and  much  perplexity,  Deacon 
Stone  declared  one  day,  with  much  earnestness,  to  his 
neighbors  and  townsmen,  who  were  assembled  at  the 
village,  that  "  For  his  part,  he  believed  it  was  best  to 
appeal  at  once  to  the  laws  of  the  land ;  and  if  they 
would  n't  give  protection  to  the  citizen,  he  did  n't 
know  what  would.  For  himself,  he  verily  believed 
Colonel  Kingston  might  be  charged  with  swindling, 
and  if  a  complaint  was  to  be  made  to  the  Grand  Jury 
he  did  n't  bel.  eve  but  they  would  have  him  indicted 
and  tried  in  Court,  and  give  back  the  people  theif 


252  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

farms  again."  The  deacon  spoke  feelingly,  m  the 
subject,  and  his  words  found  a  ready  response  in  the 
hearts  of  all  present.  It  was  at  once  agreed  to  pre- 
sent Colonel  Kingston  to  the  Grand  Jury,  when  the 
Court  should  next  be  in  session  at  Nomdgewoek. 
Accordingly,  when  the  next  Court  w;.,s  held,  Monson 
was  duly  represented  before  the  gram  inquest  for  the 
county  of  Somerset,  and  such  an  ar:-ay  of  facts  and 
evidence  was  exhibited,  that  the  Jury,  without  hesita- 
tion, found  a  bill  against  the  colonel  fc  r  swindling,  and 
a  warrant  was  immediately  issued  for  1:  is  apprehension, 
This  crisis  had  been  some  months  maturing,  and 
the  warm  summer  had  now  commenc  ed.  The  forest 
trees  were  now  in  leaf ;  and  though  the  ground  was 
yet  wet  and  muddy,  the  days  began  to  be  hot  and 
uncomfortable.  It  was  a  warm  moonlight  evening, 
when  the  officer  arrived  at  Monson  w  1th  the  warrant. 
He  had  taken  two  assistants  with  h:  m,  mounted  on 
fleet  horses,  and  about  a  dozen  stout  young  men  of 
the  village  were  in  his  train  as  volunteers.  They 
approached  the  tavern  where  Cclonel  Kingston 
boarded,  and  just  as  they  were  turnii  g  from  the  road 
up  to  the  house,  the  form  of  a  tall,  ;  >lim  person  was 
seen  in  the  bright  moonlight,  gliding  ft  om  the  back 
door,  and  crossing  the  garden. 


THE     SPECULATOR. 

"There  lie  goes!"  exclaimed  a  dozen  Monson  voices 
at  once ;  "  that's  he ! — there  he  goes  !" 

And  sure  enough,  it  was  he !  Whether  he  had  been 
notified  of  his  danger,  by  some  trjaitor,  or  had  seen 
from  the  window  the  approach  of  the  party,  and  sus- 
pected mischief  was  at  hand,  was  never  known.  But 
the  moment  he  heard  these  exclamations,  he  sprang 
from  the  ground  as  if  a  bullet  had  pierced  his  heart. 
He  darted  across  the  garden,  leaped  the  fence  at  a 
bound,  and  flew  over  the  adjacent  pasture  with  the 
speed  of  a  race-horse.  In  a  moment  the  whole  party 
were  in  full  pursuit;  and  in  five  minutes  more,  a 
hundred  men  and  boys,  of  all  ages,  roused  by  the  cry 
that  now  rang  through  the  village,  were  out,  and  join- 
ing in  the  race.  The  fields  were  rough,  and  in  some 
places  quite  wet,  so  that  running  across  them  was 
rather  a  difficult  and  hazardous  business.  The  direc- 
tion which  Kingston  at  first  seemed  inclined  to  take, 
woiild  lead  him  into  the  main  road,  beyond  the  corner, 
nearly  a  half  a  mile  off.  But  those  who  were  mounted 
put  spurs  to  their  horses,  and  reaching  the  spot  before 
him,  headed  him  off  in  another  direction.  He  now 
flew  from  field  to  field,  leaping  fence  after  fence,  and 
apparently  aiming  for  the  deep  forest,  on  the  eastern 
part  of  the  town.  Many  of  his  pursuers  were  athletic 


254: 

young  men,  and  they  gave  him  a  hot  chase.  Even 
Deacon  Stone,  who  had  come  to  the  village  that  even- 
ing to  await  the  arrival  of  the  officer — even  the  dea- 
con, now  in  the  sixty-first  year  of  his  age,  ran  like  a 
ouy.  He  kept  among  the  foremost  of  the  pursuers,  and 
once  getting  within  about  a  dozen  rods  of  the  fugitive, 
his  zeal  burst  forth  into  words,  and  he  cried  out,  in  a 
tremulous  voice :  "  Stop !  you  infernal  villain ! — stop !" 
This  was  the  nearest  approach  he  had  made  to  profa- 
nity for  forty  years ;  and  when  the  sound  of  the  words 
he  had  uttered  fell  full  on  his  ear,  his  nerves  received 
such  a  shock  that  his  legs  trembled  and  he  was  no 
longer  able  to  sustain  his  former  speed. 

The  colonel,  however,  so  far  from  obeying  the 
emphatic  injunction  of  the  deacon,  rather  seemed  to 
be  inspired  by  it  to  new  efforts  of  flight.  Over  log, 
bog  and  brook,  stumps,  stones  and  fences,  he  flew  like 
a  wild  deer ;  and  after  a  race  of  some  two  miles,  during 
w^hich  he  was  at  no  time  more  than  twenty  rods  from 
some  of  his  pursuers,  he  plunged  into  a  thick  dark  for- 
est. Hearing  his  adversaries  close  upon  him,  after  he 
had  entered  the  wood,  and  being  almost  entirely 
exhausted,  he  threw  himself  under  the  side  of  a  large 
fallen  tree,  where  he  was  darkly  sheltered  by  a  thick 
aump  of  alders.  His  pursuers  rushed  furiously  on, 


THE     SPECULATOR.  255 

many  of  them  within  his  hearing,  and  some  of  them 
passing  over  the  very  tree  tinder  which  he  lay.  After 
scouring  the  forest  for  a  mile  round,  without  finding 
any  traces  of  the  fugitive,  they  began  to  retreat  to  the 
opening,  and  Kingston  heard  enough  of  their  remarks, 
on  their  return,  to  learn  that  his  retreat  from  the  woods 
that  night  would  be  well  guarded  against,  and  that 
the  next  day  Monson  would  pour  out  all  its  force,  "  to 
hunt  him  to  the  ends  of  the  'arth,  but  what  they 
would  have  him !" 

Under  this  comfortable  assurance,  he  was  little  dis- 
posed to  take  much  of  a  night's  rest,  where  he  would 
be  sure  to  be  discovered  and  overtaken  in  the  morn- 
ing. But  what  course  to  take,  and  what  measures  to 
adopt,  was  a  difficult  question  for  him  to  answer.  To 
return  to  Monson  opening,  he  well  knew  would  be  to 
throw  himself  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies ;  and  if 
he  remained  in  the  woods  till  next  day,  he  foresaw 
there  would  be  but  a  small  chance  of  escape  from  the 
hundreds  on  every  side,  who  would  be  on  the  alert  to 
take  him.  North  of  him  was  the  new  town  of  Elliot- 
ville,  containing  some  fifteen  or  twenty  families,  and  to 
the  south,  lay  Guilford,  a  well-settled  farming  town ; 
but  he  knew  he  would  be  no  more  safe  in  either  of 
those  settlements  than  he  would  in  Monson.  East  of 


256 

him  lay  an  unsettled  and  unincorporated  wild  town- 
ship, near  the  centre  of  which,  and  some  three  or  four 
miles  to  the  eastward  of  where  he  now  lay,  dwelt  a 
solitary  individual  by  the  name  of  Johnson,  a  singular 
being,  who,  from  some  unknown  cause,  had  forsaken 
social  life,  and  had  lived  a  hermit  in  that  secluded  spot 
for  seven  or  eight  years.  He  had  a  little  opening  in  a 
fine  interval,  on  the  banks  of  Wilson  River,  where 
he  raised  his  corn  and  potatoes,  and  had  constructed 
a  rude  hovel  for  a  dwelling.  Johnson  had  made  his 
appearance  occasionally  at  the  village,  with  a  string 
of  fine  trout,  a  bear-skin,  or  some  other  trophy  of  his 
Nimrod  propensities,  which  he  would  exchange  at  the 
stores  for  "a  little  rum,  and  a  little  tobacco,  and  a 
little  tea,  and  a  jack-knife,  and -a  little  more  rum," 
when  he  would  plunge  into  the  forest  again,  return  to 
his  hermitage,  and  be  seen  no  more  for  months. 

After  casting  his  thoughts  about  in  vain  for  any 
other  refuge,  Kingston  resolved  to  throw  himself  upon 
the  protection  of  Johnson.  Accordingly,  as  soon  as 
he  was  a  little  rested,  and  his  pursuers  were  well  out 
of  hearing,  he  crept  from  his  hiding-place,  and  taking 
his  direction  by  the  moon,  made  the  best  of  his  way 
eastward,  through  the  rough  and  thick  wood.  It  is 
no  easy  matter  to  penetrate  such  a  forest  in  the  day- 


THE     SPECULATOR.  257 

time  ;  and  in  the  night,  nothing  but  extreme  despera- 
tion could  drive  a  man  through  it.  Here  pressing  his 
way  through  dark  and  thick  underbrush,  that  con- 
stantly required  both  hands  to  guard  his  eyes ;  there 
climbing  over  huge  windfalls,  wading  a  bog,  or  leap- 
ing a  brook ;  and  anon  working  his  way,  for  a  quarter 
of  a  mile,  through  a  dismal,  tangled  cedar-swamp, 
where  a  thousand  dry  and  pointed  limbs,  shooting  out 
on  every  side,  clear  to  the  very  ground,  tear  his  clothes 
from  his  back,  and  wound  him  at  every  step.  Under 
these  impediments,  and  in  this  condition,  Kingston 
spent  the  night  in  pressing  on  toward  Johnson's  camp ; 
and  after  a  period  of  extreme  toil  and  suffering,  just 
at  daylight,  he  came  out  to  the  opening.  But  here 
another  barrier  was  before  him.  The  Wilson  River, 
a  wild  and  rapid  stream,  and  now  swollen  by  a  recent 
freshet,  was  between  him  and  Johnson's  dwelling,  and 
he  had  no  means  of  crossing.  But  cross  he  must,  and 
he  was  reluctant  to  lose  time  in  deliberation.  He 
selected  the  spot  that  looked  most  likely  to  admit  of 
fording,  and  waded  into  the  river.  He  staggered 
along  from  rock  to  rock,  and  fought  against  the  cur* 
rent,  until  he  reached  nearly  the  middle  of  the  stream, 
when  the  water  deepened  and  took  him  from  his  feet ! 
He  was  but  an  indifferent  swimmer,  and  the  force  oi 


tke  current  carried  him  rapidly  down  the  stream.  At 
1ast,  however,  after  severe  struggles,  and  not  without 
imminent  peril  of  his  life,  he  made  out  to  reach  the 
bank,  so  much  exhausted,  that  it  was  with  difficulty 
he  could  walk  to  Johnson's  camp.  "When  he  reached 
it,  he  found  its  lonely  inmate  yet  asleep.  He  roused 
him,  made  his  case  known  to  him,  and  begged  his 
protection. 

Johnson  was  naturally  benevolent,  and  the  forlorn, 
exhausted,  ragged,  and  altogether  wretched  appear- 
ance of  the  fugitive,  at  once  touched  his  heart.  There 
was  now. — 

"No  SPECULATION  in  those  eyes 
Which  he  did  glare  withal," 

but  fear  and  trembling  blanched  his  countenance,  and 
palsied  his  limbs.  Possibly  the  hermit's  benevolence 
might  have  been  quickened  by  a  portion  of  the  con- 
tents of  the  colonel's  purse ;  but  be  that  as  it  may,  he 
was  soon  administering  to  the  comfort  of  his  guest. 
in  a  few  minutes  he  had  a  good  fire,  and  the  exhausted 
wanderer  took  off  his  clothes  and  dried  them,  and  tried 
to  fasten  some  of  the  flying  pieces  that  had  been  torn 
loose  by  the  hatchel-teeth  limbs  in  the  cedar-swamps, 
In  the  meantime  Johnson  had  provided  some  roasted 
potatoes,  and  a  bit  of  fried  bear-meat,  which  he 


THE     SPECULATOR. 

served  up,  with  a  tin  dipper  of  strong  tea,  and  Kings- 
ton ate  and  drank,  and  was  greatly  refreshed. 

They  now  set  tnemselves  earnestly  to  work  to  devise 
means  of  retreat  and  security  against  the  pursuit  of 
the  enraged  Monsonites,  a  who,"  Kingston  said,  "  he 
was  sure  would  visit  the  camp  before  noon."  Under  a 

*-, 

part  of  the  floor,  was  a  small  excavation  in  the  earth, 
which  his  host  called  his  potato-hole,  since,  being  near 
the  fire,  it  served  in  winter  to  keep  his  potatoes  from 
freezing.  This  portion  of  the  floor  was  now  entirely 
covered  over  with  two  or  three  barrels,  a  water-pail,  a 
bench,  and  sundry  articles  of  iron  and  tin-ware.  It 
was  Johnson's  advice,  that  the  colonel  should  be 
secreted  in  this  potato-hole.  He  was  afraid,  however, 
that  they  would  search  so  close  as  to  discover  his  re- 
treat. Yet  the  only  alternative  seemed  between  the 
plan  proposed  and  betaking  himself  again  to  the  woods, 
exposed  to  toil  and  starvation,  and  the  chance  of  arrest 
by  some  of  the  hundreds  who  would  be  scouring  the 
woods  that  day,  eager  as  bloodhounds  for  their  prey. 
Something  must  be  done  immediately,  for  he  was 
expecting  every  hour  to  hear  the  cry  of  his  pursuers ; 
and  relying  on  Johnson's  ingenuity  and  skill  to  send 
them  off  on  another  scent  should  they  come  to  his 
camp,  he  concluded  to  retreat  to  the  potato-hole 


260  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

Accordingly,  the  superincumbent  articles  were  has- 
tily removed,  a  board  was  taken  up  from  the  floor, 
and  the  gallant  colonel  descended  to  his  new  quarters. 
They  were  small  to  be  sure,  but  under  the  circumstan- 
ces very  acceptable.  The  cell  was  barely  deep  enough 
to  receive  him  in  a  sitting  posture,  with  his  neck  a 
little  bent,  while  under  him  was  a  little  straw,  upon 
which  he  could  stretch  his  limbs  to  rest.  Johnson 
replaced  all  the  articles  with  such  care  that  no  one 
would  have  supposed  they  had  been  removed  for 
months. 

This  labor  had  just  been  completed,  when  he  heard 
shouts  at  a  distance,  and  beheld  ten  or  a  dozen  people 
rushing  out  of  the  woods,  and  making  toward  his 
camp.  He  was  prepared  for  them ;  and  when  they 
came  in,  they  found  him  seated  quietly  on  his  bench, 
mending  his  clothes. 

;i  Have  you  seen  anything  of  Colonel  Kingston  ?" 
inquired  the  foremost  of  the  .company  with  panting 
eagerness. 

"Colonel  Kingston?"  asked  Johnson,  looking  up 
with  a  sort  of  vacant,  honest  stare. 

"  Yes — he's  run  for't,"  replied  the  other,  "  and  we 
are  after  him.  The  Grand  Jury  has  indicted  him, 
and  the  Sheriff's  got  a  warrant,  and  all  Monson,  and 


THE     SPECULATOR.  261 

one  half  of  Guilford,  is  out  a  hunting  for  him.  Last 
night,  just  as  they  were  going  to  take  him,  he  run 
into  the  woods  this  way.  Ha'n't  you  seen  nothin'  of 
him?" 

Johnson  sat  with  his  mouth  wide  open,  and  listened 
with  such  an  inquiring  look  that  any  one  would  have 
sworn  it  was  all  news  to  him.  At  last  he  exclaimed 
with  the  eainestness  inspired  by  a  new  thought, 
"Well,  there!  I'll  bet  that  was  what  my  dog  was 
barking  at,  an  hour  or  so  ago !  I  heard  him  barking 
as  fierce  as  a  tiger,  about  half  a  mile  down  the  river. 
I  was  busy  mending  my  trowsers,  or  I  should  have 
gone  down  to  see  what  he'd  got  track  of." 

The  company  unanimously  agreed  that  it  must 
have  been  Kingston  the  dog  was  after ;  and  in  the 
hope  of  getting  upon  his  track,  they  hurried  off  in 
the  dirEction  indicated,  leaving  Johnson  as  busily 
engaged  as  if,  like 

"  Brian  O'Linn,  he'd  no  breeches  to  wear," 

until  he  had  finished  repairing  his  tattered  inexpressi- 
bles. 

The  fugitive  now  breathed  freely  again  ;  but  while 
his  pursuers  were  talking  with  his  host,  his  respira- 
don  had  hardly  been  sufficient  to  sustain  life,  and 


262 

"  cold  arops  of  sweat  stood  on  his  trembling  flesh." 
He  did  not  venture  to  leave  his  retreat  for  two  days  ; 
for  during  that  day  and  most  of  the  next,  the  woods 
were  scoured  from  one  end  of  the  township  to  the 
other,  and  several  parties  successively  visited  the 
camp,  who  were  all  again  successively  despatched  to 
the  woods  by  the  adroitness  of  its  occupant. 

After  two  days  the  pursuers  principally  left  the 
woods  and  contented  themselves  with  posting  senti- 
nels at  short  intervals  on  the  roads  that  surrounded 
the  forest,  and  in  the  neighboring  towns,  hoping  to 
arrest  their  victim,  when  hunger  should  drive  him 
forth  to  some  of  the  settlements.  Kingston  felt  that 
it  was  unsafe  for  him  to  remain  any  longer  under  the 
protection  of  Johnson,  and  he  knew  it  would  be 
exceedingly  difficult  to  make  his  escape  through  any 
of  the  settlements  of  Maine.  Upon  due  reflection  he 
concluded  that  the  only  chance  left  for  him  was  to 
endeavor  to  make  his  way  to  Canada. 

He  was  now  a  dozen  or  fifteen  miles  from  the  foot 
of  Moosehead  lake.  There  was  a  foot-path  to  Elliott- 
ville,  where  there  were  a  few  inhabitants.  Through 
this  settlement  he  thought  he  imgl  t  venture  to  pass 
in  the  night ;  and  he  could  then  go  *  few  miles  to  the 
westward,  and  meet  the  road  leading  from  Monson  to 


THE      SPECULATOR.  263 

the  lake.  Once  across  or  around  the  foot  of  the  lake, 
he  believed  he  could  make  his  way  into  the  Canada 
road,  and  escape  with  safety.  Having  matured  his 
plan  he  communicated  it  to  Johnson,  who  aided  it  in 
the  best  manner  he  could  by  providing  him  with  a 
pack  of  potatoes  and  fried  bear-meat,  accompanied 
with  an  extra  Indian  "johnny-cake,"  a  jack-knife,  and 
a  flint  and  tinder  for  striking  fire. 

It  was  late  in  the  niglit,  when  all  things  were  pre- 
pared for  the  journey,  and  Kingston  bade  an  affec- 
tionate adieu  to  his  host,  declaring  that  he  should 
never  forget  him,  and  adding,  with  much  originality 
of  thought  and  expression,  that  "a  friend  in  need 
was  a  friend  indeed."  He  had  nearly  a  mile  to  go 
through  the  woods,  before  reaching  the  path  that  led 
through  the  township  of  Elliotville ;  and  when  he 
passed  the  Elliottville  settlement  the  day  began  to 
dawn.  A  stirring  young  man,  who  was  out  at  that 
early  hour,  saw  him  cross  the  road  at  a  distance  and 
strike  into  the  woods.  Satisfied  at  once  who  he  was, 
and  suspecting  his  object,  he  hastened  to  rouse  his 
two  or  three  neighbors,  and  then  started  toward  Mon- 
son  village  with  all  the  speed  his  legs  could  give  him. 
Kingston,  observing  this  movement  from  a  hill-top 
in  the  woods,  was  convinced  that  he  should  he 


264 


WAY     DOWN     EAST. 


pursued,  and  redoubled  his  exertions  to  reach  the 
lake. 

When  the  messenger  reached  M  onson  and  commu- 
nicated his  intelligence,  the  whole  village  was  roused 
like  an  encamped  army  at  the  battle-call;  and  in 
twenty  minutes  every  horse  in  the  village  was  mounted 
and  the  riders  were  spurring  with  all  speed  toward  the 
lake,  and  Deacon  Stone  among  the  foremost.  As 
they  came  in  sight  of  the  Moosehead,  the  sun,  which 
was  about  an  hour  high,  was  pouring  a  flood  of  warm 
rays  across  the  calm,  still  waters,  and  some  half  a  mile 
from  land,  they  beheld  a  tall,  slim  man,  alone  in  a 
canoe,  paddling  toward  the  opposite  shore. 

For  a  moment  the  party  stood  speechless,  and  then 
vent  was  given  to  such  oaths  and  execrations  as  habit 
had  made  familiar.  Something  was  even  swelling  in 
Deacon  Stone's  throat,  well-nigh  as  sinful  as  he  had 
uttered  on  a  former  occasion,  but  he  coughed,  and 
checked  it  before  it  found  utterance.  They  looked 
around,  and  ran  on  every  side,  to  see  if  another  boat, 
or  any  other  means  of  crossing  the  lake  could  be 
found  ;  but  all  in  vain.  The  only  skiff  on  that  arm 
of  the  lake  had  been  seized  by  the  colonel  in  his 
flight.  His  pursuers  were  completely  baffled.  Some 
were  for  crossing  the  woods,  and  going  round  the 


THE     SPECULATOR.  265 

southwest  bay  of  the  lake  over  the  head  waters  of 
the  Kennebec  River,  and  so  into  the  great  wilderness 
on  the  western  side  of  the  lake.  But  others  said, 
"  No ;  it's  no  use  ;  if  he  once  gets  over  among  them 
swamps  and  mountains,  you  might  as  well  look  for  a 
needle  in  a  hay-  now  I" 

This  sentiment  accorded  with  the  better  judgment 
of  the  party,  and  they  turned  about  and  rode  quietly 
back  to  Monson — Deacon  Stone  consoling  himself  on 
the  .  way  by  occasionally  remarking :  "  "Well,  if  the 
heathen  is  driven  out  of  the  land,  thanks  to  a  kind 
Providence,  he  has  n't  carried  the  land  with  bi 


266 


CHAPTER  XL 

A    DUTCH   WEDDING. 

"  You  can  often  get  over  the  difficulty,  when  yon 
can't  get  over  the  river,"  said  my  friend  John  Yan 
Ben  Schoten. 

"  Why  don't  you  begin  your  name  with  a  Sam  ?" 
said  I;  "  if,  would  give  it  more  fulness  and  roundness ; 
a  more  musical  sound.  I  do  like  a  full,  harmonious 
name,  I  don't  care  what  nation  it  belongs  to.  Only 
see  how  much  better  it  would  sound — Sam  John  Yan 
Ben  Schoten — I  would  make  that  little  addition,  if  I 
was  you." 

"Why  that  is  my  boy's  name,"  said  my  friend 
John  Yan  Ben  Schoten.  "  You  Yankees  are  always 
one  generation  ahead  of  us  Hollanders.  Wait  till 
my  boy  grows  up,  and  he'll  be  just  what  you  want. 
"  But  don't  let  us  be  disputing  about  names" 

Our  disputes  were  always  of  the  good-natured 
sort,  and  generally  confined  to  the  relative  advan- 
tages of  Yankee  enterprise  and  Dutch  perseverance 


A     DUTTH     WEDDING.  267 

•'  Don't  let  us  be  disputing  about  names,"  said  he, 
a  when  you  ought  to  be  planning  how  to  pay  that 
note  to-morrow.  You  say  your  draft  has  come  back 
protested,  and  you  have  no  other  means  of  raising 
the  money." 

This  was  too  true ;  I  had  been  in  a  perfect  fever  all 
the  morning ;  the  return  of  the  draft  was  most  unex- 
pected ;  those,  of  whom  I  had  been  accustomed  to 
receive  accomodations,  were  out  of  town,  and  the 
note  in  question  would  do  me  much  injury  by  lying 
over.  As  a  last  resort  I  had  applied  to  my  friend 
John  Yan  Ben  Schoten  for  advice  in  the  matter. 

"  I  tell  you,"  said  John  Yan  Ben  Schoten,  "  you 
can  often  get  over  the  difficulty,  when  you  can't  get 
over  the  river." 

"Yes,"  said  I,  <?but  how  ?    You  can  do  most  any 
thing  if  you  only  know  how." 

"  W  ell,"  said  he,  "  go  into  my  counting-room  and 
sit  down  a  minute,  and  I'll  tell  you  how." 

We  went  in,  and  took  a  seat  in  the  shadiest  corner, 
near  the  window.  John,  before  sitting  down,  reached 
up  over  his  desk  and  took  down  his  long  pipe.  He 
then  opened  a  little  drawer  and  filled  his  pipe  with 
fine  dry  tobacco,  and  pulling  a  lens  out  of  his  pocket 
he  stepped  into  the  sunshine  to  light  it. 


268  WAY     DOWN     EAJT. 

"You  don't  need  that  glass,"  said  I,  "  you  just  hold 
your  pipe  in  the  sun,  and  if  it  don't  light  in  half  a 
minute  without  the  glass,  I'll  engage  to  eat  it." 

"  There  'tis  again,"  said  John  Yan  Ben  Schoten, 
"  you  are  always  showing  the  Yankee.  Our  fathers 
always  lit  their  pipes  with  sun  glasses,  and  now  you 
want  to  contrive  some  other  way  to  do  it.  If  I  knew 
I  could  light  it  in  half  the  time  without  the  glass,  still 
I  would  use  the  glass  out  of  respect  to  my  ances- 
tors." 

"  "Well,  come,"  said  I,  "  this  is  n't  telling  me  how  to 
get  over  the  difficulty." 

"  Wait  till  I  get  my  little  steam-engine  a-going," 
said  John,  still  holding  the  glass  in  the  sun. 

"  But  have  n't  you  any  loco  foco  matches  ?"  said  I, 
growing  somewhat  impatient. 

"  No,?'  said  John,  "  I  never  allow  those  new-fangled 
dangerous  things  to  come  into  my  counting  room." 

"  But  how  do  you  get  a  fire  when  the  sun  don't 
shine  ?"  said  I. 

"  I  use  a  flint  and  steel,"  said  he,  "  the  safest  and 
surest  way  in  the  world." 

At  last,  his  pipe  began  to  burn,  and  John  with  the 
utmost  complacency  sat  down  in  his  large  arm-chair 
and  began  to  smoke. 


A     DUTCH      WEDDING. 

"  Well,  now,"  said  I,  "  I  suppose  you  are  ready  to 
open  your  mind  upon  this  matter,  and  tell  me  if  you 
can  contrive  any  plan  to  help  me  over  this  difficulty." 

"  Why,  yes,"  said  John,  "  you  can  oftentimes  get 
over  the  difficulty,  when  you  can't  get  over  the  river. 
Did  you  ever  know  how  Peter  Yan  Horn  got  mar 
ried?" 

"  STo,"  said  I. 

"  Well,  I'll  tell  you,"  said  John,  taking  the  pipe 
from  his  mouth  and  puffing  out  a  cloud  of  smoke  that 
almost  concealed  his  head  from  my  view. 

"  Oh,  now,  don't  stop  for  any  of  your  long  yarns," 
said  I ;  "it  is  getting  toward  the  close  of  business 
hours,  and  it's  very  important  that  this  business  of 
mine  should  be  attended  to." 

"You  Yankees  are  always  too  impatient,"  said 
John ;  "  there's  never  anything  lost  by  taking  time  to 
consider  a  matter.  It  is  driving  the  steamboat  too 
fast,  and  trying  to  go  ahead  of  somebody  else,  that 
makes  her  burst  her  boiler." 

At  that  he  put  his  pipe  in  his  mouth  and  went  to 
smoking  again. 

"  Well,  come,"  said  I,  "  the  sooner  you  begin  to 
tell  how  Peter  Yan  Horn  got  married,  the  sooner 
you'll  get  through  with  it." 


370 

"  I  know  it,"  said  he,  "  and  if  you  won't  interrupt 
me,  I'll  go  on." 

"  Yes,"  says  I,  "  a  Dutchman  must  always  have 
his  own  way ;  go  ahead." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  John  Yan  Ben  Schoten,  throw- 
ing himself  back  into  the  chair,  and  leisurely  blowing 
the  smoke  in  a  long,  steady,  quiet  roll  from  his  mouth ; 
"  about  a  hundred  years  ago,  Peter  Yan  Horn  lived 
at  Schenectady,  or  near  where  Schenectady  now  is, 
for  it  was  a  kind  of  wilderness  place  then.  You've 
been  at  Schenectady,  have  n't  you  ?" 

"  No  "  said  I,  "  I  never  have." 

"  Well,  it  is  about  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  from 
Albany ;  you've  been  at  Albany,  of  course." 

"No,  I  have  n't,"  said  I. 

"  Not  been  at  Albany  ?"  said  John,  staring  at  me 
with  rather  an  incredulous  look ;  "  then  you  have  n't 
seen  much  of  the  world  yet." 

"  Why,  no,"  said  I,  "  perhaps  not  a  great  deal  on 
this  side  of  it ;  though  I  have  seen  something  of  the 
other  side  of  it,  and  a  little  of  both  eends." 
*  John  laughed,  and  went  on  with  his  story. 

"  Peter  Yan  Horn  lived  near  Schenectady,  on  one 
of  the  little  streams  that  empty  into  the  Mohawk, 
His  father  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  that  region  ; 


A     DUTCH     WEDDING.  271 

and  the  old  gentleman  brought  up  a  nice  family,  a 
fine  set  of  hardy,  industrious  fellows ;  every  one  of 
them  as  steady  as  a  mill  horse  :  no  wild  oats — they 
were  men  before  they  were  boys.  The  consequence 
was,  they  picked  up  the  money  and  always  had  a 
comfortable  share  of  this  world's  goods. 

"  Well,  Peter,  he  grew  up  to  be  a  smart  young 
man,  and  at  last  he  got  it  into  his  head,  that  he 
wanted  to  be  married.  You  know  how  'tis  ;  young 
men  now-a-days  are  apt  to  get  such  notions  into  their 
heads,  and  it  was  just  so  in  old  times.  I  don't  know 
as  Peter  was  to  blame  for  that ;  for  there  was  living 
a  little  ways  up  the  hill,  above  his  father's,  Betsey  Yan 
Hey  den,  a  round,  rosy-cheeked,  blue  eyed  girl,  as  neat 
as  a  new  pin,  and  as  smart  as  a  steel-trap.  Every 
time  Peter  saw  her,  his  feelings  became  more  inter- 
ested in  her.  Somehow,  he  could  not  seem  to  keep 
his  mind  off  of  her.  Sometimes,  when  he  was  hoeing 
corn  in  the  field,  the  first  thing  he  would  know,  his 
father  would  call  out  to  him,  '  Peter,  what  do  you 
stand  there  leaning  over  your  hoe-handle  for  ?'  And 
then  he  would  start,  and  color  up  to  the  eyes,  and  go 
to  work.  He  knew  he  had  been  thinking  of  Betsey 
Yan  Heyden,  but  how  long  he  had  been  standing  still 
he  could  n't  tell. 


272 

"At  last  things  grew  worse  and  worse,  and  he 
found  he  couldn't  live  without  Betsc  y  Yan  Heyden 
no  how  ;  so  he  went  and  popped  the  question  to  her  ; 
and  Betsy  said  she  was  willing  if  m  >ther  was — gals 
in  them  days  were  remarkably  well  brought  up,  in 
comparison  of  what  they  are  now-a-  lays — so  after  a 
while  Peter  mustered  up  courage  ei  ough  to  go  and 
ask  the  old  folks,  and  the  old  folks,  i fter  taking  two 
days  to  consider  of  it,  said  yes ;  for  why  should  n't 
they  f  Peter  was  one  of  the  most  ii  dustrious  young 
men  in  the  whole  valley  of  the  Moha  vk. 

"  And  now  that  the  road  was  all  open  and  plain 
before  him,  Peter  was  for  hurrying  a  lead ;  he  did  n't 
see  any  use  at  all  in  waiting. 

"  Betsey  was  for  putting  it  off  two  months,  till  she 
could  get  another  web  out  of  the  1  om ;  but  Peter 
said  no,  he  did  n't  care  a  snap  aboi  t  another  web  ; 
they'4  be  married  first  and  make  the  cloth  afterward. 
Betsey  at  last  yielded  the  point ;  she  s  lid  she  did  want 
to  make  up  a  few  articles  before  the;  -  were  married, 
but  she  supposed  they  might  get  alor  g  without  them. 
So  they  finally  fixed  on  Thursday  <  f  the  following 
week  for  the  wedding.  The  work  of  preparation  was 
soon  commenced,  and  carried  out  in  a  liberal  style. 
Everything  requisite  for  a  grand  feast  was  collected, 


A     DTTTCH     WEDDING.  273 

cooked,  and  arranged  in  apple-pie  order.  The  guests 
were  all  invited,  and  Parson  Yan  Brunt  was  engaged 
to  be  there  precisely  at  three  o'clock,  in  order  that 
they  might  get  through  the  business,  and  have  supper 
out  of  the  way  in  season  for  all  to  get  home  before 
dark. 

"Thus far,  up  to  the  evening  before  the  wedding  day, 
everything  looked  fair  and  promising.  Peter  retired 
to  bed  early,  in  the  hope  of  getting  a  good  night's 
rest ;  but  somehow  or  other  he  never  was  so  restless 
in  his  life.  He  shut  his  eyes  with  all  his  might,  and 
tried  to  think  of  sheep  jumping  over  a  wall ;  but  do 
all  he  could,  sleep  would  n't  come.  Before  midnight 
the  doors  and  windows  began  to  rattle  with  a  heavy 
wind.  Peter  got  up  and  looked  out ;  it  was  dark  and 
cloudy.  Presently  flashes  of  lightning  were  seen, 
and  heavy  thunder  came  rolling  from  the  clouds  and 
echoing  among  the  hills.  In  half  an  hour  more  a 
heavy  torrent  of  rain  was  beating  upon  the  house. 
c  It  will  be  soon  over,'  thought  Peter,  f  and  the  air 
will  be  beautiful  to-morrow,  as  sweet  as  a  rose  ;  what 
a  fine  day  we  shall  have.' 

"  Hour  after  hour  passed  away,  and  the  rain  still 
came  down  in  a  flood.  Peter  could  not  sleep  a  wink 

all  night.     He  got  up  and  walked  the  floor  till  day 

12* 


274  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

light,  and  when  he  looked  out  upon  the  roads  and 
the  fields  the  water  was  standing  in  every  hollow  and 
running  down  the  hillsides  in  rivulets.  Nine,  ten, 
and  eleven  o'clock  passed,  and  still  it  rained.  Peter 
had  been  up  to  Mr.  Yan  Heyden's  twice  through 
the  rain  to  see  how  affairs  went  on  there ;  the  family 
looked  rather  sad,  but  Betsey  said  she  had  faith  to 
believe  that  it  would  hold  up  before  three  o'clock  ; 
and  sure  enough  about  twelve  o'clock,  while  the 
families  were  at  dinner,  it  did  hold  up,  and  the  clouds 
began  to  clear  away. 

"  About  two  o'clock  the  wedding  guests  began  to 
assemble  at  Mr.  Yan  Heyden's,  and  the  faces  of  all 
began  to  grow  shorter  and  brighter.  All  this  time  it 
had  not  entered  Peter's  head,  or  the  heads  of  any  of 
the  rest  of  the  company,  that  there  might  be  any 
difficulty  in  the  way  of  Parson  Yan  Brunt's  coming 
to  their  aid  in  completing  the  marriage  ceremony. 
They  had  all  this  time  forgotten  that  they  were  on 
one  side  of  the  Tomhenick  stream  and  Parson  Yan 
Brunt  on  the  other ;  that  tnere  was  no  bridge  over 
the  stream,  and  that  it  was  now  so  swollen  by  the 
flood,  and  the  current  was  so  rapid,  that  it  was  almost 
as  much  as  a  man's  life  was  worth  to  attempt  to  cross 
it  at  the  usual  fording-place,  or  swim  it  on  horseback. 


A     DUTCH     WEDDING.  275 

"  At  last,  about  half-past  two  o'clock,  Parson  Van 
Brant,  true  to  his  promise,  was  seen  riding  down  the 
hill  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  and  approaching 
the  ford, 

"  Thero  he  is,"  said  old  Mrs.  Yan  Heyden,  who 
had  been  upon  the  lookout  for  the  last  half  hour, 
"  there's  the  dear  good  man ;  now  let  us  all  take  our 
seats  and  be  quiet  before  he  comes  in." 

"  While  they  were  still  lingering  at  the  doors  and 
windows,  and  watching  the  parson  as  he  came  slowly 
down  the  hill,  he  reached  the  bank  of  the  river  and 
stopped.  He  sat  upon  his  horse  some  minutes,  look- 
ing first  up  the  stream  and  then  down  the  stream,  and 
then  he  rode  his  horse  a  few  rods  up  and  down  the 
bank,  and  returned  again  to  the  ford. 

" '  What  c~an  he  be  waiting  there  for  ?'  said  Peter ; 
'  sure  he  has  seen  the  river  often  enough  before,  that 
he  need  n't  stand  there  so  long  to  look  at  it.' 

" '  I  can  tell  you  what  the  difficulty  is,'  said  old  Mr. 
Van  Heyden,  '  the  river  is  so  high  he  can't  get  across/ 

"  The  truth  now  fell  like  a  flash  upon  the  minds  of 

the  whole  company. 

« 

"  '  Do  you  think  so  ?'  said  Mr.  Yan  Horn. 
" c  I  know  so,'  said  Mr.  Yan  Heyden ;  <  you   can 
see  from  here  the  water  is  up  the  bank  two  roda 


276 

farther  than  it  commonly  is,  and  must  be  as  much  as 
ten  feet  deep  over  the  ford  just  now.' 

" '  What  shall  we  do  ¥  said  old  Mr  5.  Van  Heyden ; 
4  the  things  will  all  be  spoilt  if  we  don't  have  the 
wedding  to-day.' 

"  Betsey  began  to  turn  a  little  pale.  Peter  took  his 
hat  and  started  off  upon  a  quick  v  alk  toward  the 
river ;  and  presently  all  the  men  foil  :s  followed  him. 
The  women  folks  waited  a  little  wiile,  and  seeing 
Parson  Yan  Brunt  still  sitting  on  his  horse  upon  the 
other  side  of  the  river  without  any  a  itempt  to  cross, 
they  all  put  on  their  bonnets  and  fol  .owed  the  men. 
When  they  got  to  the  bank,  the  reasc  a  of  the  parson's 
delay  was  as  clear  as  preaching.  Th  j  little  river  was 
swollen  to  a  mighty  torrent,  and  wf  s  rushing  along 
its  banks  with  the  force  and  rapidi  y  of  a  cataract. 
The  water  had  never  been  so  high  1  efore  since  the 
neighborhood  had  been  settled,  and  i  was  still  rising. 
To  ford  the  river  was  impossible,  an  i  to  attempt  to 
swim  it  on  horseback  was  highly  dan  *erous. 

" l  What  shall  we  do  ?'  said  Pete: ,  calling  to  the 
parson  across  the  river. 

" '  Well,  I  think  you  will  have  to  ]  >ut  it  off  two  or 
three  days,  till  the  river  goes  dowi,'  said  Parson 
Van  Brunt 


A     DUTCH     WEDDING.  277 

cc  'Tell  him  we  can't  put  it  off,'  said  old  Mrs.  Van 
Hey  den,  touching  Peter  by  the  elbow :  '  for  the  pies 
and  cakes  and  things  will  all  be  spoilt.' 

" c  Ask  him  if  he  don't  think  his  horse  can  swim 
over,'  said  Betsey  in  a  half  whisper,  standing  the  other 
side  of  Peter. 

"  Peter  again  called  to  the  parson ;  told  him  what 
.  a  disappointment  it  would  be  if  he  did  n't  get  over, 
and  that  it  was  the  general  opinion  his  horse  could 
swim  over  with  him  if  he  would  only  try.  Parson  Yan 
Brunt  was  devoted  to  the  duties  of  his  profession,  and 
ready  to  do  anything,  even  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  for 
the  good  of  his  flock.  So  he  reined  up  his  horse 
tightly,  gave  him  the  whip,  and  plunged  into  the 
stream.  The  current  was  too  rapid  and  powerful  for 
the  animal ;  the  horse  and  rider  were  carried  down 
stream  with  fearful  speed  for  a  about  a  dozen  rods, 
when  they  made  out  to  land  again  on  the  same  side 
from  which  they  started.  All  were  now  satisfied 
that  the  parson  could  not  get  over  the  river.  The 
experiment  already  made  was  attended  with  such 
fearful  hazard  as  to  preclude  all  thought  of  its  repeti- 
tion. 

"  <  Oh  dear,  what  shall  we  do?'  said  Mrs.  Yan  Hey- 
den  ;  <  was  there  ever  anything  so  unlucky  ? 


278  WAY     DOWN     EAST. 

"  Betsey  sighed,,  and  Peter  bit  his  lips  with  vexation. 
Peter's  mother  all  this  while  had  not  uttered  a  sylla- 
ble. She  was  a  woman  that  never  talked,  but  she  did 
up  a  great  deal  of  deep  thinking.  At  last,  very  much 
to  the  surprise  of  the  whole  company,  she  spoke  out 
loud,  and  said : 

" '  It  seems  to  me,  if  Parson  Yan  Brunt  can't  get 
over  the  river,  he  might  get  over  the  difficulty  some- 
how or  other.' 

"  *  Well,  how  in  the  world  can  he  do  it?'  said  Peter. 

" { Why,  you  jest  take  hold  of  Betsey's  hand,'  said 
his  mother,  c  and  stand  up  here,  and  let  the  parson 
marry  you  across  the  river.' 

"This  idea  struck  them  all  very  favorably;  they 
did  n't  see  why  it  could  n't  be  done.  Peter  again 
called  to  Parson  Yan  Brunt,  and  stated  to  him  the 
proposition,  and  asked  him  if  he  thought  there  was 
anything  in  the  law  or  in  the  Bible  that  could  go 
against  the  match  if  it  was  done  in  that  way.  Parson 
Yan  Brunt  sat  in  a  deep  study  about  five  minutes, 
and  then  said  he  could  n't  see  anything  in  the  way, 
and  told  them  they  might  stand  up  and  take  hold  of 
hands.  When  they  had  taken  their  proper  positions, 
and  old  Mrs.  Yan  Heyden  had  put  her  handkerchief  to 
her  face  to  hide  the  tears  that  began  to  start  from  her 


A     DUTCH     WEDDING.  279 

eyes,  the  parson  read  over,  in  a  loud  and  solemn  tone, 
the  marriage  ceremony,  and  pronounced  them  man 
and  wife. 

"  Peter  then  threw  a  couple  of  silver  dollars  across 
the  river,  which  Parson  Yan  Brunt  gathered  up  and 
put  in  his  pocket,  and  then  mounted  his  horse  and 
started  for  home,  while  the  company  upon  the  other 
side  of  the  river  returned  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Yan 
Hey  den  to  enjoy  the  wedding  feast." 

By  this  time  John  Yan  Ben  Schoten's  pipe  had 
gone  out,  and  he  started  to  the  window  again  with 
his  lens  to  re-lighi  it. 

"  "Well,"  said  I,  "  I  understand,  now,  how  Peter 
Yan  Horn  got  over  his  difficulty,  but  I'll  be  hanged 
if  I  can  see  any  clearer  how  I  am  to  get  over  mine." 

"None  so  blind  as  them  that  won't  see,"  said  John, 
turning  to  his  desk  and  pulling  out  his  old  rusty  yel- 
low pocket  book.  He  opened  it,  and  counted  out  the 
sum  of  money  which  I  lacked. 

"There,"  said  he,  "go  and  pay  your  note,  and 
remember  you  can  sometimes  get  over  the  difficulty, 
when  you  can't  get  ?ver  the  river." 


280 


CHAPTEK  XH. 

BILLY      SNTTB. 

WHEN  the  biographer  has  a  subject  of  unusual 
magnitude  and  importance  to  deal  with,  it  becomes 
him  to  lay  out  his  work  with  circumspection,  and 
preserve  a  careful  method  in  the  arrangement.  He 
must  dig  deep,  and  lay  his  foundation  firmly,  before 
he  attempts  to  rear  his  edifice.  He  must  not  thrust 
his  hero  at  once  and  unceremoniously  in  the  face  of 
his  reader,  standing  alone  and  erect,  like  a  liberty-pole 
on  the  naked  common  of  a  country  meeting-house. 
He  must  keep  him  for  a  while  in  the  background, 
and  with  a  careful  and  skilful  progression  drag  him 
slowly  up  from  the  dark  and  misty  slough  of  antiquity, 
to  the  full  light  of  day.  It  is  not  sufficient  to  com- 
mence with  the  father,  nor  even  with  the  grandfather  • 
propriety  requires  that  the  ancestral  chain  should  be 
examined  to  the  very  topmost  link. 

Unfortunately  for  the  cause  of  letters,  the  origin 
and  early  history  of  the  Snubs  are  veiled  in  tho  deep* 


BILLY      SNUB.  281 

est  obscurity.  The  most  indefatigable  researches 
have  been  sufficient  to  trace  them  back  but  a  few 
generations.  Their  family  name  is  not  found  in  the 
list  of  the  hardy  adventurers  who  came  over  in  the 
Mayflower,  nor  yet  among  the  early  colony  planted 
by  Captain  John  Smith.  But  though  history  retains 
no  record  of  the  precise  point  of  time  when  they 
migrated  to  the  Western  continent,  it  is  certain  they 
were  among  the  early  settlers  of  the  New  World, 
and  many  respectable  traditions  are  extant  of  their 
ancient  standing  and  influence  in  some  of  the  older 
towns  in  New  England.  There  is  some  doubt  as  to 
what  nation  may  rightfully  claim  the  honor  of  sup- 
plying the  blood  that  flows  in  their  veins,  and  it  is 
probable  the  question  at  this  late  day  can  never  be 
settled  with  entire  satisfaction.  Though  the  claims 
of  England,  France,  and  Germany,  might  each  and 
all  be  urged  with  so  much  force  as  to  incline  the  his- 
torian to  believe  that  their  blood  is  of  mixed  origin, 
yet  the  prevailing  testimony  ought  to  be  considered 
sufficient  to  establish  the  point  that  John  Bull  is  the 
father  of  the  Snub  family ;  a  conclusion  which 
derives  no  small  support  from  the  general  pugnacity 
of  their  character.  It  is  much  to  be  lamented  that 
the  ancient  history  of  this  ancient  family  is  lost 


282  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

to  the  world ;  but,  alas  1  they  had  no  poet,  no  histo- 
rian. 

The  ancestors  of  Billy  Snub  can  be  traced  in  a 
direct  line  only  to  the  fourth  generation.  The  great- 
grandfather was  a  lawyer  of  thrift  and  respectability  ; 
a  man  of  talents  and  influence ;  and  tradition  says,  if 
he  was  not  a  younger  "son,  he  was  the  nephew  of  a 
younger  son  of  an  English  earl.  It  cannot,  there- 
fore, with  any  propriety,  be  thrown  in  the  face  of  the 
Snubs,  that 

"  Their  ancient  but  ignoble  blood 
Has  crept  through  scoundrels  ever  since  the  flood." 

But  this  Lawyer  Snub,  whose  first  name  was  William, 
had  not  the  faculty  or  the  talents  to  bring  up  his 
children  to  maintain  the  standing  and  dignity  of  their 
father.  His  son  William  was  nothing  more  than  a 
plain,  respectable  country  farmer,  who  planted  his 
potatoes,  and  hoed  his  corn,  and  mowed  his  hay,  and 
milked  his  cows  very  much  as  other  farmers  do,  with- 
out ever  doing  anything  to  become  distinguished  in 
the  history  of  his  times.  He  also  was  destined  to  see 
his  posterity  still  in  the  descendant,  for  Ms  son  Wil- 
liam was  a  village  shoemaker,  who  sat  on  his  bench, 
and  drew  his  thread,  an^l  hammered  his  lapstone 


BILLY     SNUB.  283 

from  morning  till  night,  the  year  in  and  year  out, 
with  the  occasional  variation  of  whistling  while 
paring  off  a  shoe,  and  singing  a  song  of  an  evening 
to  the  loungers  in  his  shop.  The  tendency  in  the 
Snub  family,  however,  was  still  downwards ;  even 
the  shoemaker  was  not  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  for 
his  son  was  Billy  Snub  the  newsboy.  The  direct 
family  line,  as  far  back  as  authentic  history  goes, 
running  thus  i 

First  generation,  William  Snub,  Esquire. 

Second  generation,  Mr.  William  Snnf$,  the  farmer. 

Third  generation,  Bill  Snub,  the  s)5  jemaker. 

Fourth  generation,  Billy  Snub,  t*  e  newsboy. 

There  is  a  tide  in  families,  as  Vjfl  as  "in  the  afLWs 
)f  men."  They  rise  and  fall,  though  not  as  regiL  arly, 
yet  as  surely  as  the  spring  and  neap  tides  of  the 
ocean.  And  Billy  Snub,  P^ter  kicking  and  flounder- 
ing about  upon  the  fla^,  at  low  water,  has  at  last 
caught  the  flood,  and  nere  is  no  knowing  to  what 
height  of  fortune  b^  may  yet  be  carried.  His  pos- 
terity will  undoubtedly  be  in  the  ascendant,  and  it 
may  not  be  too  much  to  expect  that  in  a  few  genera- 
tions ah'  -jd,  we  shall  have  his  Excellency,  William 
Snub,  C  jvernor,  &c.,  and  perhaps  William  Snub,  the 
y%h'  th  President  of  the  United  States.  But  the 


?AST. 

regular  chain  of  history  must  not  be  anticipated ;  and 
in  order  to  bring  Billy  fairly  and  with  sufficient  clear- 
ness before  the  public,  it  is  necessary  to  dwell  for  a 
few  moments  upon  the  history  of  Bill  Snub,  the  shoe- 
maker, and  Sally  Snub,  his  wife. 

For  a  few  years  Bill  Snub  was  the  leading  shoe- 
maker in  a  quiet  New  England  village.  Indeed,  he 
took  the  lead  from  necessity,  for  he  had  no  competitor ; 
the  field  was  all  his  own,  and  being  allowed  to  have 
his  own  way,  and  fix  his  own  prices,  he  managed  to 
get  a  comfortable  living.  Being  well  to  do  in  the 
world,  and  much  given  to  whistling  and  singing,  his 
shop  gradually  became  the  favorite  resort  of  all  the 
idlers  in  the  village.  Bill's  importance  was  magnified 
in  his  own  eyes  by  this  gathering  around  him  almost 
every  evening,  to  say  nothing  of  the  rainy  afternoons. 
Unconsciously  to  himself  he  encouraged  this  lounging 
habit  of  his  neighbors  by  administering  to  their  little 
idle  comforts.  In  one  corner  of  his  shop  was  a  broken 
chair  for  an  extra  seat,  in  another  a  square  block  of 
timber  left  from  the  frame  of  the  new  school-house, 
and  in  still  another  corner  was  a  stout  side  of  sole 
leather,  rolled  up  and  snugly  tied,  which  answered 
very  well  for  a  seat  for  three.  A  half-peck  of  apples, 
and  a  mug  or  two  of  cider,  always  at  Bill's  expense, 


BILLY     SNUB. 

frequently  added  to  the  allurements  of  the  place,  and 
Bill's  songs,  and  Bill's  jokes,  no  matter  how  little 
music  or  wit  they  contained,  were  always  applauded. 
This  state  of  things  silently,  but  gradually,  made  sad 
encroachments  upon  Bill's  habits  of  industry.  His 
customers  were  put  off  from  day  to  day,  and  when 
Saturday  night  •  came,  a  bushel  basket  full  of  boots 
and  shoes  remained  in  his  shop  waiting  repairs,  to  say 
nothing  of  Sunday  new  ones  that  had  been  promised, 
but  not  touched.  Many  of  his  customers  had  to  stay 
at  home  on  the  Sabbath,  or  go  to  meeting  barefoot. 
The  result  of  all  this  was,  that  an  interloper  soon 
came  into  the  place,  and  opened  a  shop  directly 
opposite -to  that  of  Bill.  The  way  was  already  open 
for  him  for  a  good  run  of  business.  Bill's  customers, 
exasperated  at  their  numerous  disappointments,  dis- 
carded him  at  once,  and  flocked  to  the  new  comer. 
In  a  week's  time,  Bill  had  nothing  to  do.  He  might 
be  seen  standing  in  his  shop  door,  or  with  his  head 
out  of  the  window,  hour  after  hour,  watching  his  old 
customers  as  they  entered  the  shop  of  his  rival.  He 
would  go  home  to  his  meals  in  ill-humor,  and  scold 
his  wife  for  his  bad  luck.  And  if  little  Billy,  then 
six  years  old,  came  round  him  with  his  accustomed 
prattle  and  play,  he  was  pretty  sure  tc  be  silenced 


286 

with  a  smart  box  on  the  ear.  Things  grew  worse  and 
worse  with  him,  and  in  a  few  months  want  was  not 
only  staring  him  in  the  face,  but  had  actually  seized 
him  with  such  a  firm  gripe  as  to  bring  him  to  a  full 
stand.  Something  must  be  done  ;  Bill  was  uncom- 
fortable. "Whistling  or  singing  to  the  bare  walls  of 
his  shop,  produced  an  echo  that  chilled  and  annoyed 
him  exceedingly.  Food  and  clothing  began  to  be 
among  the  missing,  and  he  soon  discovered  that  walk- 
.ng  the  streets  did  but  little  towards  replenishing  his 
wardrobe ;  nor  would  scolding  or  even  beating  his 
wife  supply  his  table. 

At  last,  throwing  the  whole  blame  upon  the  place 
and  its  people  where  he  lived,  he  resolved  at  once  to 
pull  up  stakes  and  be  off. 

"  And  where  are  you  going,  Bill  ?"  said  his  wife, 
wiping  the  tears  from  her  eyes,  as  she  saw  her  hus- 
band commence  the  work  of  packing  up. 

"  It's  none  of  your  business,  Sail,"  said  the  husband 
gruffly.  "  But  I'm  going  where  there's  work  enough 
for  all  creation;  where  there's  more  folks  to  mend 
shoes  for  than  you  can  shake  a  stick  at." 

"  Well,  where  is  it  Bill?  do  tell  us;"  said  Sally  in 
an  anxious  tone.  "  If  it  is  only  where  we  can  get  vic- 
tuals to  eat,  and  clothes  to  wear,  I  shall  be  thankful  " 


BILLY     SNUB.  287 

"  Well,  then/'  said  Bill,  "  I'm  going  tc  -he  biggest 
city  in  the  United  States,  where  there's  work  enough 
all  weathers." 

"  Well,  that's  Boston,"  said  Sally. 

"  No,  'taint  Boston,"  said  Bill ;  "it's  a  place  as  big 
as  four  Bostons.  It's  New  York;  I'm  going  right 
into  the  middle  of  New  York ;  so  pack  up  your  duds 
about  the  quickest;  for  I  ain't  going  to  stop  for 
nobody." 

And  sure  enough,  a  few  mornings  after  this,  among 
the  deck  passengers  of  one  of  the  steamers  that  arrived 
at  New  York,  was  no  less  a  personage  than  Bill  Snub, 
the  shoemaker,  with  his  wife  Sally  and  his  son  Billy. 
The  group  landed,  and  stared  at  every  object  they 
met,  with  a  wild  and  wondering  expression,  that 
seemed  to  indicate  pretty  clearly  that  they  were  not 
accustomed  to  sights  and  scenes  like  those  around 
them.  Indeed,  they  had  never  before  been  in  a  large 
town,  and  hardly  out  of  their  quiet  country  village. 
Each  bore  a  bundle,  containing  the  whole  amount  of 
their  goods  and  chattels,  which  had  been  reduced  to 
a  few  articles  of  wearing  apparel,  a  box  or  two  of 
eatables,  which  they  had  taken  for  their  journey,  and 
a  few  tools  of  his  trade,  which  Bill  had  had  the  fore- 
sight to  preserve  in  order  to  begin  the  world  anew 


288  'WAT    DOWN    EAST. 

Bewildered  by  the  noise  and  bustle,  and  crowds  of 
people  on  every  side,  they  knew  not  which  way  to 
turn  or  what  to  do.  They  knew  not  a  person  nor  a 
street  in  the  city,  and  had  no  very  definite  object  in 
view.  Instinctively  following  the  principal  current 
of  passengers  that  landed  from  the  boat,  they  soon 
found  themselves  in  Broadway.  Here,  as  a  small  stream 
blends  with  a  large  one  into  which  it  flows,  their  com- 
pany was  presently  merged  and  lost  in  the  general 
throng  of  that  great  thoroughfare.  They  gradually 
lost  sight  of  the  familiar  faces  they  had  seen  on  board 
the  boat,  and  when  the  last  one  disappeared,  and 
they  could  no  longer  discern  in  the  vast  multitude  hur- 
rying to  and  fro,  and  down  the  street,  a  single  indivi- 
dual they  had  ever  seen  before,  a  sense  of  solitude 
and  home-sickness  came  over  them,,  that  was  most 
overpowering.  They  stopped  short  on  the  sidewalk, 
and  Bill  looked  in  his  wife's  face,  and  his  wife  looked 
in  his,  and  little  Billy  stood  between  them,  and  looked 
up  in  the  faces  of  both. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?"  said  Sally. 

"Going  to  do?"  said  Bill;  "I'm  going  to  hire  out; 
or  else  hire  a  shop  and  work  on  my  own  hook." 

Just  at  that  moment  a  gentleman  brushed  past  his 
elbow,  and  Bill  hailed  him. 


BILLY     SNUB.  289 

"  I  say,  mister,  you  don't  know  of  nobody  that 
wants  to  hire  a  shoemaker,  do  ye  ?" 

The  gentleman  turned  and  glanced  at  him  a 
moment,  and  th(  n  hurried  on  without  saying  a  word. 

"  I  should  thii  k  he  might  have  manners  enough  to 
answer  a  civil  question,"  muttered  Bill  to  himself,  as 
he  shouldered  h  s  bag  and  moved  on  up  the  street. 
Presently  they  passed  a  large  shoe  store. 

"  Ah,  here's  tLe  place!"  said  Bill;  "we've  found 
it  at  last.  O,  Still,  did  you  ever  see  such  an  allured 
sight  of  shoes?  Lay  down  your  bundle,  and  stop 
here  to  the  doo  •,  while  I  go  in  and  make  a  bargain 
for  work.  So  ii)  Bill  went,  and  addressed  himself  to 
one  of  the  clerks 

"  I  say,  mister  you've  got  sich  an  everlastin'  lot  of 

shoes  here,  I  gue^s  may  be  you'd  like  to  hire  a  good 

• 

shoemaker ;  and  .f  you  do,  I'm  the  boy  for  you." 

The  clerk  laughed,  and  told  him  he  must  ask  the 
boss  about  that. 

"  Ask  the  wha;?"  said  Bill. 

"  Ask  the  boss  "  said  the  clerk,  who  began  to  relish 
the  conversation. 

"I  shan't  do  ED  sich  thing,"  said  Bill ;  «  I  didn't 
come  to  New  Yc  rk  to  talk  with  bossy-calves  nor  pigs ; 

and  if  you  are  a  calf  I  don't  want  any  more  to  say  to 

13 


290  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

yoi: ;  but  if  you  want  to  hire  a  good  shoemaker,  I  teli 
you  I'm  the  chap  for  you."  Here  the  proprietor  of 
the  store,  seeing  the  clerks  gathering  round  Bill,  to 
the  neglect  of  their  customers,  came  forward  and  told 
him  he  did  not  wish  to  hire  any  workmen,  and  he 
had  better  go  along. 

"  But  I'll  work  cheap,"  said  Bill,  "  and  I'm  a  first- 
rate  workman.  Here's  a  pair  of  shoes  on  my  feet 
I've  wore  for  four  months,  and  they  han't  ripped  a 
stitch  yet." 

"  But  I  don't  want  to  hire,"  said  the  man  of  the 
store,  with  some  impatience  ;  "  so  you  had  better  go 
along." 

"  But  maybe  we  can  make  a  bargain,"  said  Bill ; 
"  I  tell  ye,  I'll  work  cheap." 

"  I  tell  you,  I  don't  want  to  hire,"  said  the  man  ; 
"  so  go  out  of  the  store." 

"  You  need  n't  be  so  touchy,"  said  Bill ;  "  I  guess 
I've  seen  as  good  folks  as  you  are,  before  to-day. 
Come  now,  what'll  you  give  me  a  month  ?" 

"  I'll  give  you  what  you  won't  want,"  said  the  man, 
"  if  you  are  not  out  of  this  store  in  one  minute."  As 
he  said  this,  he  approached  Bill  with  such  a  menacing 
appearance,  that  the  shoemaker  thought  it  time  to 
retreat,  and  hastened  out  of  the  door.  As  he  reached 


BILLY      dNUB.  29  J 

the  sidewalk,  lie  turned  round  and  hailed  the  man  of 
the  store  again. 

"  I  say,  mister,  havn't  you  got  a  shoemaker's  shop 
you'll  let  to  me  ?" 

The  man  said  he  had  a  good  room  for  that  purpose. 

"  Well,  what  do  you  ask  a  year  for  it  ?"  said  Bill. 

"  Three  hundred  dollars,  with  good  security,"  re- 
plied the  shopman. 

"  Three  hundred  dollars  !  My  gracious  !  Come 
now,  none  of  your  jokes.  Tell  us  how  much  you  ask 
for  it,  'cause  I  want  to  hire." 

"  I  tell  you  I  ask  three  hundred  dollars,"  said  the 
man ;  "  but  it's  of  no  use  for  you  to  talk  about  it ; 
you  can/t  give  the  security." 

"  Oh,  you  go  to  grass,"  said  Bill ;  "  I  don't  want 
none  of  your  jokes.  I've  hired  as  good  a  shop  as 
ever  a  man  waxed  a  thread  in,  for  fifteen  dollars  a 
year ;  and  if  you  are  a  mind  to  let  me  have  yourn  for 
the  same,  I'll  go  and  look  at  it." 

The  man  laughed  in  his  face,  and  turned  away  to 
wait  upon  his  customers ;  and  a  little  waggish  boy, 
who  had  been  standing  by  and  listening  to  the  con- 
versation, p.aced  his  finger  against  his  nose,  and  look- 
ing up  askaixe  at  Bill,  exclaimed,  "  Ain't  ye  green?" 

Poor  BiL   began  to  think  he  had  got  among  a 


292  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

strange  set  of  people,  and,  shouldering  his  bag,  he 
marched  up  Broadway  with  his  wife  and  Billy  at  his 
heels,  till  he  came  to  the  Astor  House.  Here  he 
made  a  halt,  for  it  looked  to  him  like  a  sort  of  place 
for  head-quarters.  The  building  was  so  imposing  in 
its  appearance,  and  so  many  people  were  going  in 
and  coming  out,  and  everything  around  was  so  brisk 
and  busy,  he  thought  surely  it  must  be  just  the  place 
to  look  for  business.  So  laying  down  their  baggage, 
he  and  Sally  and  Billy  quietly  took  a  seat  on  the 
broad  granite  steps.  He  soon  began  to  ply  his 
inquiries  to  all  sorts  of  people,  asking  if  they  could 
tell  him  of  anybody  that  wanted  to  hire  a  shoemaker, 
or  that  had  a  shoemaker's  shop  to  let.  Most  of  them 
would  hurry  by  him  without  any  further  notice  than 
a  hasty  glance ;  others  would  laugh,  and  some  would 
stop,  and  ask  a  few  questions,  or  crack  a  few  heartless 
jokes,  and  then  turn  away.  After  a  while  a  throng 
of  boys  had  gathered  around  him,  and  by  various 
annoyances  rendered  his  position  so  uncomfortable, 
that  he  was  glad  to  escape,  and  shouldering  his  bag- 
gage, he  and  his  group  wandered  on  with  heavy 
hearts  up  the  street. 

Most  of  the  day  passed  in  this  way  without  any 
profitable  result,  and  as  night  approached  they  grew 


BILLY      SNUB.  293 

wear}  and  desponding.  They  had  no  money  left  to 
provide  themselves  with  a  home  for  the  night,  though 
they  had  provision  enough  for  a  meal  or  two  remain- 
ing in 'their  wallets.  Bill  had  found  it  utterly  impos- 
sible to  make  any  impression  upon  any  one  he  had 
met  in  the  city,  except  so  far  as  to  be  laughed  at. 
He  could  get  no  one's  ear  to  listen  to  his  *  tory,  and 
he  could  see  no  prospect  of  employment.  Sally  had 
several  times  suggested  that  this  great  road  which 
they  had  been  up  and  down  so  much — fo,r  they  had 
been  almost  the  whole  length  of  Broadway  two  or 
three  times — was  not  exactly  the  best  road  for  them 
to  go  in,  and  she  did  n't  think  but  what  they  might  be 
likely  to  do  better  to  go  into  one  of  the  smaller  roads, 
where  the  folks  didn't  look  so  grand.  And,  though 
Bill  had  been  of  different  opinion  through  the  day, 
he  now  began  to  think  that  Sally  might  be  right. 
Looking  down  one  of  the  cross  streets  that  seemed  to 
descend  into  a  sort  of  valley,  quite  a  different  country 
appeared  to  open  to  them.  They  could  see  old 
decayed-looking  houses,  with  broken  windows  and 
dirty  sidewalks ;  they  could  see  half-naked  children, 
running  about  and  playing  in  the  street ;  they  could 
see  bareheaded  women  and  ragged  men  lounging 
about  the  doors,  and  numerous  swine  rooting  in  the 


294 

gutters.  The  prospect  was  too  inviting  to  be  resisted. 
They  felt  at  once  that  there  they  could  find  sympathy, 
and  hastened  down  the  street.  Arriving  in  the  midst 
of  this  paradise,  they  deliberately  laid  down  their 
luggage  on  the  sidewalk,  and  seating  themselves  on 
the  steps  of  an  old  wooden  house,  felt  as  if  they  had 
at  last  found  a  place  of  rest.  They  opened  their  bun- 
dles and  began  to  partake  of  a  little  food.  Heads 
were  out  of  a  hundred  windows  in  the  neighborhood 
gazing  at  them.  Children  stopped  short  in  the  midst 
of  their  running,  and  stood  around  them ;  and  lei- 
surely, one  after  another,  a  stout  woman  or  a  sturdy 
loafer  came  nigh  and  entered  into  conversation.  As 
Bill  related  his  simple  story,  a  universal  sympathy 
was  at  once  awakened  in  the  hearts  of  all  the  hearers. 
They  all  declared  he  should  have  a  shop  in  the  neigh- 
borhood and  they  would  give  him  their  patronage. 

Patrick  O'Flannegan,  who  lived  in  the  basement  of 
the  old  house  on  whose  steps  they  were  seated,  at 
once  invited  them  to  partake  of  the  hospitalities  of 
his  mansion,  saying  he  had  but  nine  in  his  family,  and 
his  room  was  large;  and  they  should  be  welcome  to 
occupy  a  corner  of  it  till  they  could  find  a  better  home. 
Of  course  the  invitation  was  accepted,  and  the  group 
followed  Patrick  down  the  steep  dirty  steps  that  led 


BILLY     SNUB.  295 

tt  his  damp  apartment.  The  tops  of  the  low  windows 
were  about  upon  a  level  with  the  sidewalk,  bringing 
almost  the  entire  apartment  below  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  The  dim  light  that  struggled  down  through 
the  little  boxed-up  dusty  windows,  showed  a  straw- 
bed  in  two  several  corners  of  the  room,  three  or  four 
rickety  chairs,  a  rough  bench,  small  table,  tea-kettle, 
frying-pan,  and  several  other  articles  of  household 
comforts. 

"You  can  lay  your  things  in  that  corner,"  said 
Patrick,  pointing  to  a  vacant  corner  of  the  room, 
"  and  we'll  soon  get  up  some  good  straw  for  you  to 
sleep  on."  In  short,  Bill  and  his  family  at  once 
became  domesticated  in  this  subterranean  tenement, 
which  proved  to  be  not  merely  a  temporary  residence, 
but  their  home  for  years.  The  limits  of  this  history 
will  not  allow  space  to  follow  the  fortunes  of  Bill 
through  three  or  four  of  the  first  years  of  his  city  life. 
It  must  be  sufficient  to  state  generally,  that  though  he 
found  kindness  and  sympathy  in  his  new  associates, 
he  found  little  else  that  was  beneficial.  The  atmos- 
phere around  him  was  not  favorable  to  industry,  and 
his  habits  in  that  respect  never  improved,  but  rather 
grew  worse.  His  neighbors  did  not  work,  and  why 
should  he  ?  His  neighbors  were  fond  of  listening  to 


296 

his  songs,  and  why  should  he  not  sinr;  to  them  ?  ITig 
neighbors  drank  beer,  and  porter,  ar  d  sling,  and  gin 
toddy,  and  Bill  needed  but  little  c  taxing  to  drink 
with  them.  And  he  did  drink  with  tl  em,  moderately 
at  first,  but  deeper  and  oftener  from  aonth  to  month, 
and  in  three  years'  time  he  became  a  perfect  sot. 

The  schooling  that  little  Bill  recerv  ed  during  these 
three  years  was  eminently  calculate  1  to  fit  him  for 
his  future  profession.  He  had  slept  o  i  the  floor,  lying 
down  late  and  rising  up  early,  till  ris  frame  was  as 
hardy  and  elastic  as  that  of  a  yourg  panther.  He 
had  been  flogged  so  much  by  a  dm  nken  father,  and 
had  his  ears  boxed  so  often  by  a  fret-  ed  and  despond- 
ing mother,  that  he  had  lost  all  fear  of  their  blows, 
and  even  felt  a  sort  of  uneasiness,  as  though  matters 
were  not  all  right,  if  by  any  chance  the  day  passed 
by  without  receiving  them.  He  ha  1  lived  on  such 
poor  diet,  and  so  little  of  it,  that  potato-skins  had  a 
fine  relish,  and  a  crust  of  bread  w?  s  a  luxury.  He 
had  battled  with  boys  in  the  street  till  he  had  become 
such  an  adept  at  fisticuffs,  that  boys  of  nearly  twice 
his  size  stood  in  fear  of  him.  And  he  had  so  often 
been  harshly  driven  from  the  doors  of  the  wealthy, 
where  he  had  been  sent  to  beg  cold  victuals,  that  he 
had  come  to  regard  mankind  in  general  as  a  set  of 


BILLY     SNUB.  297 


ferocious  animals,  against  whose  fangs  it  was  neces- 
sary to  be  constantly  on  his  guard.  In  short,  Billy 
had  been  beaten  about  from  post  to  pillar,  and  pillar 
to  post  so  much,  and  had  rubbed  his  head  against  so 
many  sorts  of  people,  that  it  had  become  pretty  well 
filled  with  ideas  of  the  hardest  kind. 

When  Billy  was  about  ten  years  old,  he  came  run- 
ning in  one  day  in  great  glee,  with  a  sixpence  in  his 
hand,  which  he  had  found  in  the  street.  As  soon  as 
his  father  heard  the  announcement  of  it,  he  started 
up,  and  took  down  a  junk  bottle  from  a  little  shelf 
against  the  wall,  and  told  Billy  to  take  the  sixpence, 
and  go  to  the  grocer's  on  the  corner,  and  get  the 
worth  of  it  in  rum.  Sally  begged  that  he  would  not 
send  for  rum,  but  let  little  Billy  go  to  the  baker's  and 
get  a  loaf  of  bread,  for  she  had  not  had  a  mouthful  of 
anything  to  eat  for  the  day,  and  it  was  then  noon. 
But  Bill  insisted  upon  having  the  rum,  and  told  Billy 
to  go  along  and  get  it,  and  be  o^uick  about  it,  or  he 
would  give  him  such  a  licking  as  he  had  not  had  for 
six  months.  Billy  took  the  bottle,  and  started ;  but 
as  he  left  the  door,  his  cheek  reddened,  and  his  lip 
curled  with  an  expression  of  determination  which  it 
had  not  been  accustomed  to  wear.  He  walked  down 

the  street,  thinking  of  the  consequences  that  would 

13* 


298  WAY     DOWN     EAST. 

result  from  carrying  home  a  bottle  of  rum.  His 
father  would  be  drunk  all  the  afternoon,  and  through 
the  night.  His  mother  and  himself  would  have  to  go 
without  food,  probably  be  abused  and  beaten,  and 
when  night  came,  would  find  no  repose. 
'  He  arrived  at  the  grocer's,  but  he  could  not  go  in. 
He  passed  on  a  little  farther,  in  anxious,  deep  thought. 
At  last  he  stopped  suddenly,  lifted  the  bottle  above 
his  head,  and  then  dashed  it  upon  the  pavement  with 
all  his  might,  breaking  it  into  a  thousand  pieces. 

"  There,"  said  Billy  to  himself,  «  I'll  never  carry 
any  more  rum  home  as  long  as  I  live.  But  I  s'pose 
father  '11  lick  me  half  to  death ;  but  I  don't  care  if 
he  does,  I'll  never  carry  any  more  rum  home  as  long 
as  I  live." 

He  brushed  a  tear  from  his  eye,  and  bit  his  lips,  as 
he  stood  looking  at  the  fragments  of  the  bottle  a 
moment,  and  then  passed  on  farther  down  the  street. 
But  now  the  question  of  what  he  should  do,  came 
home  to  him  with  painful  force.  If  he  returned  back 
to  the  house,  and  encountered  his  enraged  father,  he 
was  sure  to  be  half  killed.  He  wandered  on,  uncon- 
cious  where  he  went,  till  he  reached  the  Park.  Here 
he  met  a  newsboy  crying  papers,  with  great  earnest- 
ness and  tremendous  force  of  lungs.  Billy  watched 


BILLY      S  X  U  13  .  290 

him  for  the  space  of  ten  minutes,  and  saw  him  sell 
half-a-dozen  papers.  They  contained  important  news 
by  a  foreign  arrival,  and  people  seemed  eager  to  get 
hold  of  them.  A  new  idea  flashed  across  Billy's 
mind.  Why  could  not  he  sell  newspapers,  and  get 
money,  as  well  as  that  boy  1  His  resolution  was  at 
once  formed,  with  almost  the  strength  and  firmness 
of  manhood.  It  required  capital,  to  be  sure,  to  start 
with,  but  luckily  he  had  the  capital  in  his  pocket. 
The  rum  bottle  had  been  broken,  and  he  still  retained 
the  sixpence.  He  hastened  immediately  to  the 
publishing  office  of  the  paper  he  had  just  seen  sold. 
When  he  arrived  there,  he  found  quite  a  crowd  of 
newsboys  pressing  up  to  the  counter,  and  clamorous 
for  papers  ;  for  the  publisher  could  not  supply  them 
fast  enough  to  meet  the  demand.  Billy  edged  his 
way  in  among  them,  and  endeavored  to  approach  the 
counter.  But  he  was  suddenly  pushed  back  by  two 
or  three  boys  at  once,  who  exclaimed,  "  What  new- 
comer is  this  ?  Here's  boys  enough  here  now,  so  you 
better  be  off." 

Another  sung  out  "Go  home,  you  ragbag,  your 
mother  don't  know  you're  out !" 

At  this,  one  of  the  boys  looked  round  that  happen- 
ed to  know  Billy,  and  he  cried  out,  "  Ah  Billy  Snub 


300 

clear  out  of  this  ;  here's  no  place  for  yon  !  No  boys 
comes  to  this  office  that  don't  wear  no  lats  and  shoes?" 

Billy  felt  the  force  of  this  argument,  for  lie  was  bare- 
Leaded  and  barefooted,  besides  berig  sadly  out  at 
knees  and  elbows  ;  and  looking  arou:  id,  he  perceived 
that  all  the  boys  in  the  room  had  soi  lething  on  their 
heads,  and  something  on  their  feet.  He  began  to  feel 
as  though  he  had  perhaps  got  amon£  the  aristocracy 
of  the  newsboys,  and  shrank  back  a  little,  and  stood 
in  a  corner  of  the  room.  The  boys  however,  were 
not  disposed  to  let  him  rest  in  peace  there.  Several 
of  them  gathered  around  him,  tainting  him  with 
jokes  and  jeers,  and  began  to  crowc  against  him  to 
hustle  him  out  of  the  room . 

"  Now  take  care,"  said  Billy,  "  fc  r  I  won't  stand 
that  from  none  of  you." 

"  You  won't,  will  you  ?"  said  the  b(  ys,  bursting  out 
into  a  roar  of  laughter;  and  one  of  .hem  took  Billy 
by  the  nose,  and  attempted  to  pull  1dm  to  the  door. 
Billy  sprang  like  a  young  catamoun  ;  and  although 
he  was  considerably  smaller  and  younger  than  his 
assailant,  he  gave  him  such  a  well-dii  ected  blow  upon 
the  chest  that  he  laid  him  sprawling  upon  the  floor. 
Upon  this,  two  or  three  more  came  a ':  him  with  great 
fury ;  but  Billy's  sleight  of  hand  wa  5  exhibited  with 


BILLY      SNUB.  30} 

so  much  force  and  skill,  that  he  made  his  way  through 
them,  and  kept  his  coast  clear ;  and  when  a  stronger 
reinforcement  ^was  about  to  attack  him,  the  publisher 
interfered,  and  ordered  them  to  let  that  boy  alone. 
Still  they  were  disposed  to  continue  their  persecu- 
tions, till  the  publisher  took  up  a  long  whip,  and 
cracked  it  over  their  heads,  and  told  them  he  would 
horsewhip  the  first  one  that  dared  to  meddle  with 
him.  And  in  order  to  make  amends  to  Billy  for  the 
ill-treatment  he  had  received,  he  said  he  should  now 
be  served  with  papers  before  any  of  the  rest.  He 
accordingly  took  Billy's  six  cents,  and  handed  him 
three  papers,  and  told  him  to  sell  them  at  three  cents 
apiece. 

Billy  eagerly  grasped  his  papers,  and  ran  into  the 
street.  He  had  not  been  gone  more  than  fifteen 
minutes,  before  he  returned  with  nine  cents,  which 
he  had  received  for  the  papers,  and  one  more,  which 
he  had  found  in  the  street.  This  enabled  him  to  pur- 
chase five  papers ;  and  he  found  the  publisher  ready 
to  wait  upon  him  in  preference  to  the  other  boys  ;  so 
he  was  soon  dispatched  on  his  second  cruise.  He 
was  not  many  minutes  in  turning  his  five  papers  into 
fifteen  cents  cash.  This  operation  was  repeated  some 
half  dozen  times  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon,  and 


30B 

when  night  came,  Billy  found  his  stock  of  casn  had 
increased  to  about  a  dollar. 

This  was  a  great  overturn  in  Billy's  fortune,  suffi- 
cient to  upset  the  heads  of  most  boys  of  his  age ;  but 
though  his  head  swam  a  little  on  first  ascertaining  the 
great  amount  of  money  in  his  pocket,  his  strength 
and  firmness  of  character  sustained  him,  so  that  he 
was  enabled  to  bear  it  with  a  good  degree  of  compo- 
sure. As  the  shadows  of  night  gathered  around  him, 
Billy  began  to  turn  his  thoughts  homeward.  But 
what  could  he  do  ?  He  knew  his  father  too  well  to 
venture  himself  in  his  presence,  and  had  no  hesita- 
tion in  coming  to  the  conclusion  that  he  must  now, 
for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  spend  the  night  away 
from  home.  Still  he  instinctively  wandered  on 
through  the  streets  that  led  him  towards  home,  for 
the  thought  that  his  mother  had  probably  been  with 
out  food  the  whole  day,  pressed  heavily  upon  his 
mind,  and  he  was  anxious  to  contrive  some  way  to 
afford  her  relief.  As  he  approached  the  neighbor- 
hood of  his  home,  or  rather  the  place  where  his 
parents  resided,  for  it  was  no  longer  a  home  to  him, 
he  stopped  at  a  grocer's,  and  purchased  a  sixpenny 
loaf  of  bread,  sixpence  worth  of  gingerbread,  and 
half  a  dozen  herrings,  for  which  he  paid  another  six- 


V BILLY      SNTB.  303 

pence.  With  these  he  turned  into  the  street,  and 
walked  thoughtfully  and  carefully  towards  the  house, 
hesitating,  and  looking  frequently  around  him,  lest 
his  father  might  be  out,  and  suddenly  seize  him.  At 
last  he  reached  the  house.  He  stopped  cautiously  on 
the  sidewalk,  and  looked,  and  listened.  There  was  a 
dim  light  in  the  basement,  but  he  heard  no  sound. 
He  stepped  lightly  down  the  steps  as  far  as  the  first 
window,  and  through  the  sash,  which  had  lost  a  pane 
of  glass,  he  dropped  his  bundle  of  provisions,  and 
then  ran  with  all  his  speed  down  the  street.  "When 
he  reached  the  first  corner  he  stopped  and  looked 
back,  and  by  the  light  of  the  street  lamps,  he  saw 
his  father  and  mother  come  out,  and  stand  on  the 
sidewalk  two  or  three  minutes,  looking  earnestly 
around  them  in  every  direction.  They  then  went 
quietly  back  to  their  room,  and  Billy  cautiously 
returned  again  to  the  house.  He  placed  himself  as 
near  the  window  as  he  could,  without  being  discovered 
from  within,  and  listened  to  what  was  going  on. 
His  mother  took  the  little  bundle  to  the  table,  and 
opened  it.  Her  eyes  filled,  with  tears  the  moment 
she  saw  what  it  contained,  for  her  first  thought  rested 
upon  Billy.  She  could  not  divine  by  what  means 
she  had  received  such  a  timely  gift,  but  somehow  or 


304 

other,  she  could  not  help  thinking  that  Billy  was  in 
some  way  connected  with  it. 

"  Come,  Bill,"  said  Sally  to  her  husband,  "  we've 
g  ;>t  a  good  supper  at  last ;  now  set  down  and  eat  some." 

Bill  drew  up  to  the  table,  and  ate  as  one  who  had 
been  fasting  for  twenty-four  hours.  After  his  appetite 
began  to  be  satisfied,  said  he,  "  Now,  Sail,  where  do 
you  think  all  this  come  from  ?" 

"  Well,  I'm  sure  I  can't  tell  anything  about  it,"  said 
Sally  ;  "  but  I  should  n't  be  afraid  to  lay  my  life  on 
it,  that  Billy  knows  something  about  it." 

"  So  does  your  granny  know  something  about  it,  as 
much  as  Billy,"  said  Snub,  contemptuously.  "  All 
Billy  cares  about  is  to  spend  that  sixpence,  and  eat  it 
up  ;  and  now  he  dares  n't  come  home.  I  wish  I  had 
hold  of  the  little  rascal,  I'd  shake  his  daylights  out ; 
I'd  lick  him  till  he  couldn't  stand." 

"  Oh,  you're  too  cruel  to  that  boy,"  said  Sally ; 
"  Billy's  a  good  child,  and  would  do  anything  for  me, 
and  for  you  too,  for  all  you  whip  him  so  much.  And 
I  believe  it's  his  means  that  got  somebody  to  give  us 
this  good  supper  to  night.  I  hope  the  dear  child  will 
come  home  pretty  soon,  for  I  feel  worried  'most  to 
death  about  him." 

"  I  hope  he'll  come,,  too,"  said  Snub,  "  and  I've  a 


BTLLY      SNUB.  305 

good  mind  to  g.  and  take  a  look  after  him,  for  I  want 
to  lick  him  most  awfully." 

At  this,  Billy  began  to  feel  as  though  it  would  be 
hazardous  for  him  to  remain  any  longer,  so  he  hastened 
away  down  the  street  to  seek  a  resting-place  for  the 
night.  This  he  found  at  last,  in  the  loft  of  a  livery 
stable,  where  he  crept  away  unobserved,  and  slept 
quietly  till  morning.  True,  he  had  one  or  two  golden 
dreams,  excited  by  his  remarkable  fortune  the  pre- 
vious day,  and  when  he  woke  his  first  impulse  was  to 
put  his  hand  in  his  pocket,  and  ascertain  whether  he 
was  really  in  possession  of  the  fortune  he  had  been 
dreaming  of,  or  whether  he  was  the  same  poor  Billy 
Snub  that  he  was  two  days  before.  The  three  hard 
silver  quarters  which  he  felt  in  his  pocket  rousea  Aim 
to  the  reality  of  his  situation,  and  he  sprang  from  his 
hard  couch,  soon  after  daylight,  resolved  to  renew  the 
labors  he  had  so  successfully  followed  the  day  before. 
He  had  now  a  good  capital  to  start  with,  and  could 
work  to  a  better  advantage  than  the  previous  day. 
He  accordingly  soon  supplied  himself  with  an  armful 
of  papers,  and  placed  himself  on  the  best  routes,  and 
at  the  best  hours.  The  result  was,  that  though  it  was 
not  properly  a  news-day,  there  being  no  subject  of 
special  interest  to  give  a  demand  for  papers,  yet,  by 


306 

his  diligence  and  perseverance,  he  managed  to  clear, 
in  the  course  of  the  day  almost  another  dollar,  leaving 
in  his  pocket,  when  night  came  on,  nearly  a  dollar 
and  three  quarters. 

Having  completed  his  work  for  the  day,  his 
thoughts  instinctively  turned  to  the  home  of  his 
parents.  He  felt  an  intense  desire  to  go  and  share 
with  them  the  joys  of  his  good  fortune ;  but  he  dared 
not  meet  his  father,  for  he  knew  well  that  a  severe 
punishment  would  be  inflicted  upon  him,  and  that  his 
money  would  be  taken  from  him  to  purchase  rum. 
He  could  not,  however,  go  to  rest  for  the  night  with- 
out getting  a  sight  of  his  mother,  if  it  were  possible, 
and  purchasing  something  for  her  comfort.  He 
accordingly  went  and  purchased  some  articles  of  pro- 
vision, to  the  amount  of  a  quarter  of  a  dollar,  rolled 
them  in  a  paper,  and  made  his  way  homeward.  The 
evening  was  rather  dark,  and  gave  him  a  favorable 
opportunity  to  approach  the  house  without  being  dis- 
covered.. He  saw  his  mother,  through  the  window, 
sitting  on  a  bench  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  room, 
with  her  head  reclining  on  her  hand,  and  apparently 
weeping.  He  could  also  hear  his  father  walking  in 
another  part  of  the  room,  though  he  could  not  see 
him.  He  crept  carefully  to  the  window,  dropped  his 


BIL^Y      SNUB.  307 

paper  of  provisions  into  the  room,  and  turned  away 
down  the  street  as  fast  as  he  could  run. 

He  went  again  to  his  solitary  lodgings,  and  rested 
till  morning,  when  he  arose  with  fresh  vigor,  and 
resumed  the  labors  of  the  day.  The  same  exertions 
and  perseverance  produced  the  same  successful  results 
he  had  met  with  the  two  previous  days ;  and  the  even- 
ings saw  the  table  of  his  parents  again  spread  with  a 
comfortable  meal,  which  was  improved  this  time  by 
the  addition  of  a  little  fruit. 

Thus,  day  after  day,  and  week  after  week,  Billy 
successfully  followed  his  new  profession  of  newsboy, 
working  hard  and  faring  hard,  in  season  and  out  of 
season,  early  and  late,  rain  or  shine.  His  lodging 
was  sometimes  ia  a  stable,  sometimes  among  the  open 
market  stalls,  and  sometimes  under  a  portico  of  some 
public  building.  His  food  was  of  the  coarsest  and 
cheapest  kind,  bread  and  cheese,  and  potatoes  and 
fish ;  and  sometimes,  when  he  had  done  a  good  day's 
work,  he  would  treat  himself  to  an  apple  or  two,  or 
some  other  fruit  that  happened  to  be  in  season. 

But  Billy  never  forgot  his  parents.  Regularly 
every  night  he  contrived  to  supply  them  with  a  quan- 
tity of  food  sufficient  for  the  following  day;  some- 
times carrying  it  himself,  and  dropping  it  in  tha 


308  WAY      D  O  W  N      E  AST. 

window,  and  sometimes,  when  the  evening  was  light, 
and  he  was  afraid  of  being  discovered,  employing 
another  boy  to  carry  it  for  him,  while  he  stood  at  the 
corner,  and  watched  to  see  that  his  errand  was  faith- 
fully executed.  At  the  end  of  three  months,  Billy 
found  himself  in  possession  of  thirty  dollars  in  cash, 
notwithstanding  he  had  in  the  meantime  purchased 
himself  a  pretty  good  second-hand  cap,  a  little  too 
small  to  be  sure,  but  nevertheless  he  managed  to  keep 
it  on  the  top  of  his  head ;  also  a  second-hand  frock 
coat,  which  was  somewhat  too  large,  but  whose  capa- 
cious pockets  he  found  exceedingly  convenient  for  car- 
rying his  surplus  gingerbread  and  apples.  He  had 
also,  in  the  meantime,  sent  his  mother  calico  sufficient 
to  make  her  a  gown,  besides  sundry  other  little  arti- 
cles of  wearing  apparel.  He  had  been  careful  all  this 
time  not  to  come  in  contact  with  his  father,  though  he 
once  came  very  near  falling  into  his  hands.  His 
father  discovered  him  at  a  little  distance  in  the  street, 
and  ran  to  seize  him,  but  Billy  saw  him  in  time  to  flee 
round  a  corner,  and  through  an  alley  way  that  led  to 
another  street,  and  so  escaped. 

Bill  Snub  at  last  came  to  the  conclusion  that  his 
son  Billy  was  doing  a  pretty  fair  business  in  some- 
thing or  other,  for  he  had  become  satisfied  that  the 


BILLY      SNUB.  309 

food  which  he  and  his  wife  daily  received  was 
furnished  by  Billy,  as  well  as  occasional  articles  of  his 
wife's,  clothing.  And  when  he  ascertained  from  some 

of  the  boys  of  Billy's  acquaintance,  that  he  had  pro- 

• 
bably  laid  up  some  thirty  or  forty  dollars  in  cash, 

Bill  at  once  conceived  the  design  of  getting  possession 
of  the  money.  As  he  could  not  catch  Billy  in  the 
street,  he  formed  a  plan  to  get  the  aid  of  police  officers ; 
and,  in  order  to  do  that,  he  found  it  necessary  to  make 
charges  against  Billy.  He  accordingly  repaired  to 
the  police  office,  and  entered  a  complaint  against  his 
boy  for  having  stolen  thirty  or  forty  dollars  of  his 
money,  which  he  was  spending  about  the  streets.  He 
described  the  boy  to  the  police  officers,  who  were  SOOP 
dispatched  in  search  of  him,  with  orders  to  arrest  him, 
and  see  if  any  money  could  be  found  upon  him.  As 
Billy  was  flying  about  in  all  parts  of  the  city,  selling 
his  papers,  it  was  nearly  night  before  the  officers  came 
across  him.  He  had  just  sold  his  last  paper,  and  was 
walking  leisurely  along  the  street,  eating  a  piece  of 
gingerbread  and  an  apple,  when  a  policeman  came 
suddenly  behind  him  and  seized  him  by  the  shoulder. 
Billy  looked  up  with  surprise,  and  asked  the  man 
what  he  wanted. 

"  I'll  let  you  know  what  I  want,  you  little  rascal  ln 


310 

said  the  officer,  harshly.  "Where  did  you  get  all 
that  gingerbread  and  apples,  sir  ?" 

"  I  bought  it,"  said  Billy. 

"  You  bought  it,  did  ye  ?  and  where  did  you  get 
the  money,  sir  ?" 

"  I  earnt  it,"  said  Billy. 

"  You  earnt  it  did  ye  ?  and  how  did  you  earn  it, 
sir?" 

"  By  selling  newspapers,"  said  Billy. 

"Tell  me  none  of  your  lies,  sir?"  said  the  man, 
giving  him  an  extra  shake  by  the  shoulder.  "  Now, 
sir,  how  much  money  have  you  got  in  your  pockets?" 

"  I've  got  some,"  said  Billy,  trembling  and  trying 
to  pull  away  from  the  man. 

"  Got  some,  have  you  ?"  said  the  officer,  holding 
him  by  a  still  firmer  gripe.  "  How  much  have  you 
got,  sir?  Let  me  see  it  ?" 

"  I  shan't  show  my  money  to  nobody,"  said  Billy, 
"  so  you  let  me  alone." 

"We'll  see  about  that,  sir,  when  we  get  to  the 
police  office,"  said  the  man,  dragging  Billy  away  by 
the  shoulder. 

It  was  so  late  in  the  day  when  they  arrived  at  the 
office,  that  the  examining  magistrates  had  left,  and 
gone  home.  The  constable,  therefore,  with  one  of  his 


BILLY      SNUB.  311 

fellow-officers,  proceeded  to  search  Billy,  and  found 
something  over  thirty  dollars  of  good  money  in  his 
pockets.  Billy  persisted  that  he  had  earned  the 
money  by  selling  papers  ;  but  the  officers,  with  much 
severity,  told  him  to  leave  off  his  lying,  for  boys  that 
sold  papers  didn't  have  so  much  money  as  that. 
They  knew  all  about  it ;  he  had  stolen  the  money, 
and  he  must  be  locked  up  till  next  morning,  when  he 
would  have  his  trial.  So  they  took  Billy's  money 
from  him,  and  locked  him  up  in  a  dark  gloomy  room 
for  the  night.  A  sad  night  was  this  for  poor  Billy. 
At  first  he  was  so  bewildered  and  shocked  at  the 
thought  of  being  locked  up  alone  all  night,  that  he 
hardly  realized  where  he  was,  or  what  was  going  on. 
As  they  pushed  him  into  his  solitary  apartment,  and 
closed  the  door  upon  him,  and  turned  the  l&rge 
grating  key,  he  instinctively  clung  to  the  door  latch, 
and  tried  to  pull  it  open.  He  called  to  them  as  loud 
as  he  could  scream,  to  open  the  door  and  let  him  out, 
and  they  might  have  all  the  money  in  welcome.  He 
could  get  no  answer,  however,  to  his  calls  ;  and  when 
he  stopped  and  listened,  the  silence  around  him 
pressed  upon  him  with  such  appalling  power,  that  he 
almost  fell  to  the  floor.  He  reeled  across  the  room 
two  or  three  times,  and  returned  agaip  to  the  dooi 


312  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

but  there  was  no  chance  to  escape,  and  the  conviction 
was  forced  upop  him  that  he  was  indeed  locked  up, 
and  all  alone,  without  the  power  of  speaking  to  any 
living  being.  He  sank  down  upon  a  bench  in  a 
corner  of  the  room,  and  wept  a  long  time  most 
bitterly.  When  his  tears  had  somewhat  subsided, 
and  he  roused  himself  up  again  so  as  to  look  about, 
the  night  had  closed  in  and  left  him  in  such  deep 
darkness  that  he  could  not  see  across  the  room.  He 
rose  and  walked  about,  feeling  his  way  by  the  walls, 
and  continued  to  walk  a  great  part  of  the  night,  for 
there  was  nothing  to  rest  on  but  the  floor  or  the  little 
bench,  and  he  could  not  have  slept  if  he  had  had  the 
softest  bed  in  the  world.  He  could  not  imagine  the 
cause  of  his  imprisonment,  for  he  was  sure  he  had 
injured  no  one  ;  but  what  grieved  him  most,  was  the 
thought  that  his  poor  father  and  mother  were  proba- 
bly without  food,  as  he  had  been  prevented  from 
carrying  anything  home  that  evening.  At  the 
thought  of  his  mother,  his  tears  gushed  forth  again  in 
a  copious  flood. 

Towards  morning  he  sank  down  exhausted  upon 
the  floor,  and  fell  into  a  short  sleep.  Still  he  was 
awake  again  by  daylight,  and  up  and  walking  the 
room.  The  morning  seemed  long,  very  long,  to  himr 


BILLY     SNUB.  313 

for  it  was  ten  o'clock  before  the  officers  came  to  take 
him  before  the  nagistrate.  He  was  glad  to  see  the 
door  open  again,  even  though  it  was  to  carry  him  to 
court,  for  the  idc  a  of  being  tried  for  stealing  was  not 
so  horrible  to  him  as  being  locked  up  there  alone  in 
that  dark  room. 

The  money  wf  s  given  to  the  magistrate,  and  Billy 
was  placed  at  th3  bar  to  answer  to  the  charge  against 
him.  The  office  •  stated  that  he  had  found  the  boy  in 
the  street  by  the  description  he  had  of  him,  and  on 
searching  him,  1  he  money  was  found  in  his  pockets. 

"  "Well,  that's  a  clear  case,"  said  the  magistrate ; 
"  precious  rogut — large  amount  for  a  boy — thirty 
dollars — that's  ^-orth  three  months'  imprisonment ; 
the  boy  must  be  locked  up  for  three  months." 

Billy  shuddere  d,  and  began  to  weep. 

"  It's  too  late  to  cry  now,"  said  the  magistrate, 
"  you  should  ha^  e  thought  of  that  before  ;  but,  after 
committing  the  crime,  there's  no  way  to  escape  the 
punishment.  W  iat  induced  you  to  steal  this  money  ?" 

•'  I  didn't  stea  it,  sir,"  said  Billy,  very  earnestly. 
'  Ah,  that  is   mly  making  a  bad  matter  worse," 
said  the  magistrc  te ;  "  the  best  way  for  you  is  to  con- 
fess the  whole,  a  id  resolve  to  reform  and  do  better  in 

future," 

14 


314  "WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

"  But  I  didn't  steal  it,"  said  Billy  with  increasing 
energy  ;  "  I  earnt  it,  every  cent  of  it !" 

"  You  earnt  it !"  said  the  magistrate,  peering  over 
his  spectacles  at  Billy ;  "  and  how  did  you  earn  it  ?" 

"  By  selling  newspapers,"  said  Billy. 

There '  was  something  so  frank  and  open  in  the 
boy's  appearance,  that  the  magistrate  began  to  wake 
up  to  the  subject  a  little.  He  asked  the  officer  if  the 
money  had  been  identified  by  the  loser.  The  officer 
replied  that  the  particular  money  had  not  been  iden- 
tified, only  the  amount. 

"  "Well,  bring  the  man  forward,"  said  the  magis- 
trate ;  "  he  must  identify  his  money." 

The  officer  then  called  up  Bill  Snub,  who  was 
stowed  away  in  a  distant  corner  of  the  room,  appa- 
rently desirous  of  keeping  out  of  sight.  This  was  the 
first  intimation  that  Billy  had  that  his  father  was  his 
accuser,  and  it  gave  him  such  a  shock  that  he  sank 
down  upon  the  seat,  and  almost  fainted  away.  The 
magistrate  asked  Snub  if  that  was  his  money,  found 
on  the  boy.  Snub  said  it  was. 

"  Well,  what  sort  of  money  was  it  that  you  lost  ?" 
said  the  magistrate.  "  You  -nust  describe  it." 

"  Oh,  it  was — it  was  all  good  money,"  said  Snub, 
coloring. 


BILLY     SNUB.  315 

"  But  you  must  be  particular,"  said  ihe  magistrate, 
"and  describe  the  money.  What  kind  of  money 
was  it?" 

"  Well,  some  of  it  was  paper  money,  and  some  of  it 
was  hard  money,"  said  Snub ;  "  it's  all  good  money." 

"  But  how  much  of  it  was  hard  money  ?"  said  the 
magistrate. 

"Well,  considerable  of  it,"  said  Bill;  "I  don't 
know  exactly  how  much." 

"  What  banks  were  the  bills  on  ?"  said  the  magis- 
trate. 

"Well,  I  don't  know  exactly,"  said  Bill,  "but  I 
believe  it  was  some  of  the  banks  of  this  city." 

"  How  large  were  the  bills  ?"  said  the  magistrate. 

"  Well,  some  of  'em  was  larger,  and  some  smaller," 
said  Bill. 

"  This  business  does  not  look  very  clear,"  said  the 
magistrate.  "  What  is  your  name,  sir  ?" 

"  Bill  Snub,"  was  the  answer, 

"  And  what  is  the  boy's  name  ?" 

"His  name  is  Billy  Snub,  Sir." 

"  Is  he  any  connection  of  yours  ?"  said  the  magis- 
trate. 

<(  I'm  sorry  to  own  it,  sir,  but  he's  my  only  son, 
bad  as  he  is." 


316 

The  magistrate,  who  had  been  looking  over  the 
top  of  his  spectacles  some  time,  now  took  them  off, 
and  fixed  his  eyes  sternly  on  Bill. 

"  This  business  must  be  unravelled,  sir.  There  is 
no  evidence  as  yet  on  either  side  ;  but  there  is  some- 
thing mysterious  about  it.  It  must  be  unravelled, 
sir." 

At  this,  a  little  boy  of  about  Billy's  age,  came  for- 
ward, and  told  the  magistrate  that  he  knew  something 
about  the  matter. 

"  Let  him  be  sworn,"  said  the  magistrate  ;  "  and 
now  tell  all  you  know  about  it." 

"Well,  I've  seen  Billy  Snub  selling  newspapers 
'most  every  day  this  three  or  four  months ;  and  I've 
known  him  to  make  as  much  as  a  dollar  a-day  a  good 
many  times.  And  I've  known  he's  been  laying  up 
his  money  all  the  time,  only  a  little,  jest  enough  to 
buy  his  victuals  with,  and  about  a  quarter  of  a  dollar 
a  day  that  he  took  to  buy  victuals  with  for  his  father 
and  mother.  And  I've  been  a  good  many  times  in 
the  evening,  and  put  the  victuals  into  the  window 
where  his  father  and  mother  lived,  because  Billy 
did  n't  dare  to  go  himself,  for  fear  his  father  w  j>uld 
catch  him,  and  lick  him  'most  to  death  for  breaking 
the  rum-bottle  when  he  sent  him  to  get  some  rum. 


BILLY     SNTJB.  317 

And  I  know  Billy  had  got  up  to  about  thirty  dollars, 
for  I've  seen  him  count  it  a  good  many  times.  And 
yesterday  his  father  was  asking  me  what  Billy  was 
about  all  the  time ;  and  said  Billy  was  a  lazy  feller, 
and  never  would  earn  anything  in  the  world.  And 
1  told  him  Billy  was  n't  lazy,  for  ha'd  got  more  than 
thirty  dollars  now,  that  he'd  earnt  selling  papers. 
And  then  he  said,  if  Billy  had  got  thirty  dollars,  he'd 
have  it  somehow  or  other  before  he  was  two  days 
older." 

"  You  may  stop  there,"  said  the  magistrate ;  "  the 
evidence  is  full  and  clear  enough."  Then  turning  to 
Bill,  he  continued,  with  great  severity  of  manner, 
"  and,  as  for  you,  sir,  for  this  inhuman  and  wicked 
attempt  to  ruin  your  own  son,  you  stand  committed  to 
prison,  and  at  hard  labor  for  the  term  of  one  year." 
Then  he  turned  to  Billy,  and  said,  "  Here,  my  noble 
lad,  take  your  money  and  go  home  and  take  care  of 
your  mother.  Continue  to  be  industrious  and  honest, 
and  never  fear  but  that  you  will  prosper." 

The  rest  of  this  history  is  soon  told.  Billy  was 
really  rejoiced  at  the  opportunity  of  visiting  his 
mother  in  peace  and  safety  again,  and  of  once  more 
having  a  home  where  he  could  rest  in  quietness  at 
night  Bill  Snub  had  to  serve  out  his  year  in  prison, 


318  'WAY  DOWN    EAST. 

but  Billy  constantly  supplied  him  with  all  the  com- 
forts and  necessaries  of  life  which  his  situation  admit- 
ted, and  always  visited  him  as  often  as  once  a  week. 
And  when  he  came  out  of  prison  he  was  an  altered 
man.  He  joined  the  temperance  society,  and  quitted 
the  rum-bottle  forever.  He  became  more  industrious, 
worked  at  his  trade,  and  earned  enough  to  support 
himself  and  Sally  comfortably. 

Billy  still  pursued  his  profession  with  untiring 
industry  and  great  success.  He  some  time  since 
purchased  a  small  house  and  lot  in  the  outskirts  of 
the  city  for  a  residence  for  his  parents ;  and  at  this 
present  writing  he  has  several  hundred  dollars  in  the 
savings  bank,  besides  many  loose  coins  profitably 
invested  in  various  other  ways.  He  is  active, 
healthy,  honest,  and  persevering,  and  destined  beyond 
doubt  to  become  a  man  of  wealth  and  honorable  dis 
tinction,  whose  name  will  shine  on  the  page  of  history 
as  tba  iU.ustrious  head  of  an  illustrious  line  of  Snubs. 


THE     PUMPKIN     FRESHET.  -        319 


CHAPTEE  XIU. 

THE    PUMPKIN    FRESHET. 

AUNT  PATTY  STOW  is  sixty-seven  years  old ;  not  quite 
as  spry  as  a  girl  of  sixteen,  but  a  great  deal  tougher 
— she  has  seen  tough  times  in  her  day.  She  can  do 
as  good  a  day's  work  as  any  woman  within  twenty 
miles  of  her,  and  as  for  walking,  she  can  beat  a  regi- 
ment. General  Taylor's  army  on  the  march  moved 
about  fifteen  miles  a  day,  but  Aunt  Patty,  on  a  pinch, 
could  walk  twenty.  She  has  been  spending  the  sum- 
mer with  her  niece  in  New  York ;  for  Aunt  Patty 
has  nieces,  abundance  of  .them,  though  she  has  no 
children ;  sh^  never  had  any.  Aunt  Patty  never  was 
married,  and,  for  the  last  thirty  years,  whenever  the 
question  has  been  asked  her,  why  she  did  not  get 
married,  her  invariable  reply  has  been,  "  she  would 
not  have  the  best  man  that  ever  trod  shoe-leather." 
Aunt  Patty  has  been  spending  the  summer  in  ISTew 
York,  but  she  does  n't  live  there ;  not  she !  she  would 
as  soon  live  on  the  top  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  If 


320 

yon   ask  her  where  she  does  live,  she   always  an 
swers, 

"  On  Susquehanna's  side,  fair  Wye  ming." 

This,  to  be  sure,  is  a  poetical  license  and  before  you 
get  the  sober  prose  answer  to  you:  question,  Aunt 
Patty  will  tell  you  that  she  is  "r  great  hand  for 
poetry,"  though  the  line  above  is  the  only  one  she  has 
ever  been  known  to  quote,  even  by  the  oldest  inhabi- 
tant. When  you  get  at  the  truth  of  the  matter,  vou 
find  she  does  live  "on  Susquehanr a's  side,"  but  a 
good  ways  from  "fair  Wyoming,"  th?  t  being  in  Penn- 
sylvania, while  her  residence,  for  fift;  -eight  years,  ha? 
been  in  the  old  Indian  valley  of  Oqi  ago,  now  Wind- 
sor, in  Broome  county,  JSTew  York.  There,  in  that 
beautiful  bend  of  the  Susquehanna,  &  >me  miles  before 
it  receives  the  waters  of  the  Chena:igo,  Aunt  Patty 
has  been  "  a  fixture"  ever  since  the  \  rhite  inhabitants 
first  penetrated  that  part  of  the  wilderness,  and  sat 
down  by  the  side  of  the  red  man.  There,  when  a 
child,  she  wandered  over  the  meadows  and  by  the 
brook-side  to  catch  trout,  and  clambe  :ed  up  the  moun- 
tains to  gather  blueberries,  and  dowi  into  the  valleys 
for  wild  lillies. 

This  valley  of  Oquago,  "before  the  revolutionary 


THE     PUMPKIN      FKESHET.  321 

war,  was  the  favorite  residence  of  an  Indian  tribe, 
and  a  sort  of  half-way  ground,  a  resting-place  for  the 
"six  nations"  at  the  north,  and  the  tribes  of  Wyoming 
at  the  south,  in  visiting  each  other.  It  was  to  the 
Indians  in  Oquago  valley,  that  the  celebrated  Dr 
Edwards,  while  a  minister  in  Stockbridge,  Mass.,  sent 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Hawley  as  a  missionary ;  and  also  sent 
with  him  his  little  son,  nine  years  old,  to  learn  the 
Indian  language,  with  a  view  of  preparing  him  for  an 
Indian  missionary.  And  when  the  French  war  broke 
out,  a  faithful  and  friendly  Indian  took  charge  of  the 
lad,  and  conveyed  him  home  to  his  father,  carrying 
him  a  good  part  of  the  way  on  his  back.  But  all  this 
happened  before  Aunt  Patty's  time,  and  before  any 
white  family,  except  the  missionary's,  resided  within 
a  long  distance  of  Oquago. 

About  the  year  of  1788,  some  families  came  in  from 
Connecticut,  and  settled  in  the  valley,  and  Aunl 
Patty's  father  and  mother  were  among  the  first.  Thug 
brought  up  to  experience  the  hardships  and  privations 
of  a  pioneer  life  in  the  wilderness,  no  wonder  Aunt 
Patty  should  be  much  struck  on  viewing  for  the  first 
time  the  profusion  and  luxury  and  mode  of  life  in  a 
city.  The  servant  girl  was  sent  out  for  some  bread, 

and  in  five  minutes  she  retimed  with  a  basket  of 

14* 


322 

wheat  loaves,  fresh  biscuit  and  French  rolls.  Aunt 
Patty  rolled  up  her  eyes  and  lifted  up  both 
hands. 

"Deai  me!"  says  she,  "do  you  call  that  bread? 
And  where,  for  massy  sake,  did  it  come  from  so  quick 
now  ?  Does  bread  rain  down  from  heaven  here  in 
New  York,  jest  as  the  manna  in  the  Bible  did  to  tne 
children  of  Israel  ?" 

"  Oh,  no,  Aunt  Patty,  there's  a  baker  only  a  few 
steps  off,  just  round  the  next  corner,  who  bakes  more 
than  a  hundred  bushels  a  day ;  so  that  we  can  always 
have  hot  bread  and  hot  cakes  there,  half  a  dozen 
times  a  day  if  we  want  it." 

"  A  hundred  bushels  a  day !"  screamed  Aunt  Patty 
at  the  top  of  her  voice;  "the  massy  preserve  us! 
Well,  if  you  had  only  been  at  Oguago  at  the  time  of 
the  great  punkin  freshet,  you  would  think  a  good  deal 
of  having  bread  so  handy,  I  can  tell  you." 

Aunt  Patty's  niece  took  her  with  her  to  the  Wash- 
ington Market  of  a  Saturday  evening,  and  showed 
her  the  profusion  of  fruits  and  vegetables  and  meats, 
that  covered  an  area  of  two  or  three  acres. 

"The  Lord  be  praised!"  said  Aunt  Patty,  "why, 
here  is  victuals  enough  to  feed  a  whole  nation.  Who 
would  have  thought  that  I  should  a-lived  through  the 


THE     PUMPKIN      FRESHET.  323 

punkin  freshet  to  come  to  see  such  a  sight  as  this 
before  I  die  ?" 

At  the  tea  table,  Mrs.  Jones,  for  that  was  the  name 
of  Aunt  Patty's  niece,  had  many  apologies  to  make 
ab  ,-ut  the  food  ;  the  bread  was  too  hard  and  the  but- 
ter was  too  salt,  and  the  fruit  was  too  stale,  and  some- 
th'jig  else  was  too  something  or  other.  At  the 
expression  of  each  apology,  Aunt  Patty  looked  up 
wi  h  wonderment ;  she  knew  not  how  to  understand 
M  s.  Jones ;  for,  to  her  view,  a  most  grand  and  rich 
an  1  dainty  feast  was  spread  before  her.  But  when 
]Vf  ;s.  Jones  summed  up  the  whole  by  declaring  to 
A  ant  Patty  she  was  afraid  she  would  not  be  able  to 
make  out  a  supper  of  their-  poor  fare,  Aunt  Patty  laid 
down  her  knife,  and  sat  back  in  her  chair,  and  looked 
up  at  Mrs.  Jones  with  perfect  astonishment. 

"  Why,  Sally  Jones !"  said  she,  "  are  you  making 
fun  of  me  all  this  time,  or  what  is  it  you  mean  \n 

" !No,  indeed,  Aunt  Patty,  I  only  meant  just  what 
I  said ;  we  have  rather  a  poor  table  to  night,  and  I 
was  afraid  you  would  hardly  make  a  comfortable  tea." 

Aunt  Patty  looked  at  Mrs.  Jones  about  a  minute 
without  saying  a  word.  At  last  she  said,  with  most 
decided  emphasis,  "Well,  Sally  Jones,  I  can't  tell  how 
it  is  some  folks  get  such  strange  notions  in  their  heads 


324 

but  I  can  tell  you,  if  you  had  seed  vhat  I  seed,  and 
gone  through  what  I  have  gone  throi  gh,  in  the  pun 
kin  freshet,  when  I  was  a  child,  and  ;  Afterwards  come 
to  set  down  to  sich  a  table  as  this,  ;  ou'd  think  you 
was  in  heaven." 

Here  Mr.  Jones  burst  out  into  i  broad  laugh. 
"  "Well  done,  Aunt  Patty !"  said  he,  £  loving  back  his 
cnp  and  shaking  his  sides ;  "  the  history  of  that 
pumvpkm  freshet  we  must  have ;  y  )u  have  excited 
my  curiosity  about  it  to  the  highes  t  pitch.  Let  us 
have  the  whole  story  now,  by  way  of  seasoning  for 
our  poor  supper.  What  was  the  p  umpkin  freshet  ? 
and  when  was  it,  and  where  was  it,  a  ad  what  did  you 
have  to  do  with  it  ?  Let  us  have  the  vhole  story  from 
first  to  last,  will  you  ?" 

"  Well,  y^f.  Jones,  you  ask  me  a  great  question," 
said  Aunt  Patty,  "  but  if  I  can't  ar  swer  it,  I  don't 
know  who  can — for  I  seed  the  punkii  freshet  with  my 
own  eyes,  and  lived  on  the  punkine  that  we  pulled 
out  of  the  river  for  two  months  aftei  wards.  Let  me 
see — it  was  in  tt  e  year  1Y94  ;  tha ;  makes  it  sixty 
years  ago.  Bless  me,  how  the  time,  slips  away.  I 
was  only  about  seven  years  old  then.  It  was  a  woodsy 
place,  Oquago  Yalley  was.  Ther<  was  only  six 
families  in  our  neighborhood  then,  tl  ough  there  was 


THE     PUMPKIN     FKE8HET.  325 

some  more  settled  away  further  up  the  river.  Major 
Stow,  my  uncle,  was  the  head  man  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. He  had  the  best  farm,  and  was  the  smartest 
hand  to  work,  and  was  the  stoutest  and  toughest  man 
there  was  in  them  parts.  Major  Buck  was  the  min- 
ister. They  always  called  him  Major  Buck,  because 
he'd  been  a  major  in  the  revolutionary  war,  and  when 
the  war  was  over  he  took  to  preaching,  and  come  and 
lived  in  Oquago.  He  was  a  nice  man ;  everybody 
sot  store  by  Major  Buck." 

"  Oh,  well,  I  don't  care  about  Major  Buck,  nor 
Major  Stow,"  said  Mr.  Jones,  "  I  want  to  hear  about 
the  pumpkin  freshet.  What  was  it  that  made  the 
pumpkin  freshet  ?" 

""Why,  the  rain,  I  suppose,"  said  Aunt  Patty, 
looking  up  very  quietly. 

"  The  rain  ?"  said  Mr.  Jones  ;  "  did  it  rain  pump- 
kins in  your  younger  days,  in  the  Oquago  Yalley  !" 

"  I  guess  you'd  a-thought  so,"  said  Aunt  Patty  "  if 
you  had  seen  the  punkins  come  floating  down  the 
river,  and  rolling  along  the  shore,  and  over  the 
meadows.  It  had  been  a  great  year  for  punkins  that 
year.  All  the  corn-fields  and  potato-fields  up  and 
down  the  river  was  spotted  all  over  with  'em,  as  yallow 
as  goold.  The  corn  was  jes  beginning  to  turn  hard, 


326 

and  the  potatoes  was  ripe  ei  •  ough  to  pull.  And  tlien, 
one  day,  it  begun  to  rain,  kind  of  easy  at  first ;  we 
thought  it  was  only  going  to  be  a  shower ;  but  it 
did  n't  hold  up  all  day,  and  in  the  night  it  kept  rain 
ing  harder  and  harder,  and  in  the  morning  it  come 
down  with  a  power.  Well,  it  rained  steady  all  that 
day.  Nobody  went  out  into  the  fields  to  work,  but 
all  staid  in  the  house  and  looked  out  to  see  if  it 
would  n't  hold  up.  When  it  come  night,  it  was  dark 
as  Egypt,  and  the  rain  still  poured  down.  Father 
took  down  the  Bible  and  read  the  account  about  the 
flood,  and  then  we  went  to  bed.  In  the  morning,  a 
little  after  daylight,  Uncle  Major  Stow  come  to  the 
window  and  hollowed  to  us,  and  says  he,  turn  out  all 
hands,  or  ye'll  all  be  in  the  river  in  a  heap. 

"  I  guess  we  was  out  of  bed  about  the  quickest. 
There  was  father,  and  mother,  and  John,  and  Jacob, 
and  Hannah,  and  Suzy,  and  Mike,  and  me,  and  Sally, 
and  Jim,  and  Rachel,  all  running  to  the  door  as  hard 
as  we  could  pull.  We  didn't  stand  much  about 
clothes.  When  father  unbarred  the  door  and  opened 
it — c oh,' says  Uncle  Major,  says  he,  'you  may  go 
back  and  'dress  yourselves,  you'll  have  time  enough 
for  that ;  but  there's  no  knowing  how  long  you'll  be 
safe,  for  the  Susquehanna  has  got  her  head  up,  and  is 


THE    PUMPKIN*    FRESHET.  327 

running  like  a  race-horse.  Your  hen-house  has  gone 
now.  At  that  Hannah  fetched  a  scream  that  you 
might  a  heard  her  half  a  mile,  for  half  the  chickens 
was  her'n.  As  soon  as  we  got  our  clothes  on,  we  all 
run  out,  and  there  we  see  a  sight.  It  still  rained  a 
little,  but  not  very  hard.  The  river,  that  used  to  be 
away  down  in  the  holler,  ten  rods  from  the  house, 
had  now  filled  the  holler  full,  and  was  up  within  two 
rods  of  our  door.  The  chicken-house  was  gone,  and 
all  the  hens  and  chickens  with  it,  and  we  never  seed 
nor  heard  nothin'  of  it  afterwards. 

"  "While  we  stood  there  talking  and  mourning  about 
the  loss  of  the  chickens,  father  he  looked  off  upon 
the  river,  for  it  begun  to  be  so  light  that  we  could  see 
across  it  now,  and  father  spoke,  and  says  he,  '  what 
upon  airth  is  all  them  yallow  spots  floating  along 
down  the  river?' 

"At  that  we  all  turned  round  and  looked,  and 
Uncle  Major,  says  he,  'by  King  George,  them's 
punkins !  If  the  Susquehanna  has  n't  been  robbing 
the  punkin  fields  in  the  upper  neighborhood,  there's 
no  snakes  in  Oquago.' 

"  And  sure  enough,  they  was  punkins ;  and  they 
kept  coming  along  thicker  and  thicker,  sprea  ling 
away  across  thp  river,  and  up  and  down  as  far  as  we 


328 

could  see.  And  bime-by  Mr.  Williams,  from  the 
upper  neighborhood,  come  riding  down  a  horseback 
as  hard  as  he  could  ride,  to  tell  us  to  look  out,  for  the 
river  was  coming  down  like  a  roaring  lion,  seeking 
whom  he  may  devour.  He  said  it  had  ran  over  the 
meadows  and  the  low  grounds,  and  swept  off  the 
corn-fields,  and  washed  out  the  potatoes,  and  was 
carrying  off  acres  and  acres  of  punkins  on  its  back. 
The  whole  river,  he  said,  was  turned  into  a  great 
punkin-field.  He  advised  father  to  move  out  what  he 
could  out  of  the  house,  for  he  thought  the  water 
would  come  into  it,  if  it  did  n't  carry  the  house  away. 
So  we  all  went  to  work  as  tight  as  we  could  spring, 
and  Uncle  Major  he  put  to  and  helped  us,  and  we 
carried  out  what  things  we  could,  and  carried  them 
back  a  little  ways,  where  the  ground  was  so  high  we 
thought  the  river  could  n't  reach  'em.  And  then  we 
went  home  with  Uncle  Major  Stow,  and  got  some 
breakfast.  Uncle  Major's  house  was  on  higher 
ground,  and  we  felt  safe  there. 

•"  After  breakfast,  father  went  down  to  the  house 
a^ain,  to  see  how  it  looked,  and  presently  he  come 
running  back,  and  said  the  water  was  up  to  the  door- 
sill.  Then  they  began  to  think  the  house  would  go, 
and  we  all  went  down  as  quick  as  we  could,  to  watch 


THE     PUMPKIN      FEESHET. 

it  When  we  got  there,  the  water  was  running  into 
the  door,  and  was  all  the  time  rising.  i  That  house  is 
a  gone  goose,'  says  Uncle  Major,  says  he,  'it's  got  to 
take  a  journey  down  the  river  to  look  after  the  hens 
and  chickens.' 

"  At  that,  mother  begun  to  cry,  and  took  on  about 
it  as  though  her  heart  would  break.  But  father,  says 
he,  '  la,  Patty,'  mother's  name  was  Patty,  and  I 
was  named  after  Jier ;  father,  says  he,  '  la,  Patty,  it's 
no  use  crying  for  spilt  milk,  so  you  may  as  well  wipe 
up  your  tears.  The  house  aint  gone  yet,  and  if  it 
should  go,  there's  logs  enough  all  handy  here,  and  we 
can  build  another  as  good  as  that  in  a  week.' 

"  '  Yes,'  says  Uncle  Major,  says  he,  i  if  the  house 
goes  down  stream,  we'll  all  turn  to  and  knock  an- 
other one  together  in  short  order.'  So  mother  begun 
to  be  pacified.  Father  went  and  got  a  couple  of  bed- 
cords  and  hitched  on  to  one  corner  of  the  house,  and 
tied  it  to  a  stump  ;  for,  he  said,  if  the  water  come  up 
only  jest  high  enough  to  start  the  house,  maybe  the 
cords  would  keep  it  from  going.  The  water  kept 
a-rising,  and  in  a  little  more  than  an  hour  after  we  got 
back  from  uncle's,  it  was  two  foot  deep  on  the  floor. 

"  <  One  foot  more,'  says  Uncle  Major,  says  he, '  wi!3 
take  the  house  off  its  legs.' 


330  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

"  But,  as  good  luck  would  have  it,  one  foot  more 
didn't  come.  "We  watched  and  watched  an  hour 
longer,  and  the  water  kept  rising  a  little,  but  not  so 
fast  as  it  did,  and  at  last  we  could  n't  see  as  it  ris  any 
more.  And,  as  It  had  done  raining,  after  we  found 
it  didn't  rise  any  for  an  hour,  Uncle  Major  he  pro- 
nounced his  opinion  that  the  house  would  stand  it. 
Then  did  n't  we  feel  glad  enough  ?  Before  noon  the 
water  begun  to  settle  away  a  little,  and  before  night 
it  was  clear  of  the  house.  But  Uncle  Major  said  it 
was  so  wet,  it  would  never  do  for  us  to  stay  in  it  that 
night,  without  we  wanted  to  ketch  our  death  a-cold. 
So  we  all  went  up  to  his  house,  and  made  a  great  camp 
bed  on  the  floor,  and  there  we  all  staid  till  morning. 
That  day  we  got  our  things  back  into  the  house  again, 
and  the  river  kept  going  down  a  little  all  day. 

"  But  oh,  such  a  melancholy  sight  as  it  was  to  see 
the  fields,  you  don't  know.  All  the  low  grounds  had 
been  washed  over  by  the  river,  and  everything  that 
was  growing  had  been  washed  away  and  carried 
down  stream,  or  else  covered  up  with  sand  and  mud. 
Then  in  a  few  weeks  after  that,  come  on  the  starving 
time.  Most  all  the  crops  was  cut  off  by  the  freshet ; 
and  there  we  was  in  the  wilderness,  as  it  were,  forty 
miles  from  any  place  where  we  could  get  any  help, 


THE  PUMPKIN   FKESHET.         331 

and  no  road  only  a  blind  footpath  through  the  woods. 
Well,  provisions  began  to  grow  short.  We  had  a 
good  many  punkins  that  the  boys  pulled  out  of  the 
river  as  they  floated  along  the  bank.  And  it  was 
boiled  punkins  in  the  morning,  and  boiled  punkins  at 
noon,  and  boiled  punkins  at  night.  But  that  was  n't 
very  solid  food,  and  we  hankered  for  something  else. 
We  had  some  meat,  though  not  very  plenty,  and  we 
got  some  roots  and  berries  in  the  woods.  But  as  for 
bread,  we  didn't  see  any  from  one  week's  end  to 
another. 

"  There  was  but  very  little  corn  or  grain  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  what  little  there  was  could  n't  be 
ground,  for  the  hand-mill  had  been  carried  away  by 
the  freshet.  At  last,  when  we  had  toughed  it  out  five 
or  six  weeks,  one  day  Uncle  Major  Stow,  says  he, 
'  well,  I  aint  agoing  to  stand  this  starving  operation 
any  longer.  I  am  going  to  have  some  bread  and 
flour  cake,  let  it  cost  what  'twill.' 

"  We  all  stared  and  wondered  what  he  meant. 

"  c  I  tell  ye,'  says  he,  c  I'm  a-going  to  have  some 
bread  and  flour  cake  before  the  week's  ciut,  or  else 
there's  no  snakes  in  Oquago.' 

"  c  Well,  I  should  like  to  know  how  you  are  a-going 
to  get  H,'  says  father,  says  he. 


332 

"  c  I'm  a-going  to  mill,'  says  Uncle  Major,  says  he.. 
'  I've  got  a  half  bushel  of  wheat  thrashed  out,  and  if 
any  of  the  neighbors  will  put  in  enough  to  make  up 
another  half  bushel,  I'll  shoulder  it  and  carry  it  down 
to  "Wattle's  ferry  to  mill,  and  we'll  have  one  feast 
before  we  starve  to  death.  It's  only  about  forty 
miles,  and  I  can  go  and  get  back  again  in  three  or  four 
days.' 

"  They  tried  to  persuade  him  off  the  notion  of  it, 
'twould  be  such  a  long  tiresome  journey ;  but  he  said 
it  was  no  use  ;  his  half  bushel  of  wheat  had  got  to  go, 
and  he  could  as  well  carry  a  bushel  as  a  half  bushel, 
for  it  would  only  jest  make  a  clever  weight  to 
balance  him.  So  Major  Buck  and  three  other  neigh- 
bors, who  had  a  little  wheat,  put  in  half  a  peck  apiece, 
and  that  made  up  the  bushel.  And  the  next  morn- 
ing at  daylight,  Uncle  Major  shouldered  the  bushel  of 
wheat,  and  started  for  "Wattle's  ferry,  forty  miles,  to 
mill. 

"Every  night  and  morning  while  he  was  gone, 
Major  Buck  used  to  mention  him  in  his  prayers,  and 
pray  for  his  safe  return.  The  fourth  day,  about  noon, 
we  see  Uncle  Major  coming  out  of  the  woods  with  a 
bag  on  his  shoulder;  and  then,  if  there  wasn't  a 
jumping  and  running  all  over  the  neighborhood,  I 


THE     PUMPKIN     FKESHET.  333 

won't  guess  again.  They  all  sot  out  and  run  for 
Uncle  Major's  house,  as  tight  as  they  could  leg  it, 
and  the  whole  neighborhood  got  there  about  as  soon 
as  he  did.  In  come  Uncle  Major,  all  of  a  puff, 
and  rolled  the  bag  off  his  shoulder  on  to  the 
bench. 

"  <  There,  Molly,'  says  he ;  that  was  his  wife,  his 
wife's  name  was  Molly ;  '  there,  Molly,  is  as  good  a 
bushel  of  flour  meal  as  you  ever  put  your  hands  into. 
Now  go  to  work  and  try  your  skill  at  a  short  cake. 
If  we  don't  have  a  regular  feast  this  afternoon,  there's 
<io  snakes  in  Oquago.  Bake  two  milk-pans  fall,  so  as 
tojhave  enough  for  the  whole  neighborhood.' 

" f  A  short  cake,  Mr.  Stow,'  says  Aunt  Molly,  says 
she,  i  why  what  are  you  a  thinking  about  ?  Don't 
you  know  we  have  n't  got  a  bit  of  shortnin'  in  the 
house ;  not  a  mite  of  butter,  nor  hog's  fat,  nor  nothin'  ? 
How  can  we  make  a  short  cake  ?' 

"'"Well,  maybe  some  of  the  neighbors  has  got 
some,'  says  Uncle  Major,  says  he. 

" '  No,'  says  Aunt  Molly,  <  I  don't  believe  there's  a 
bit  in  the  neighborhood.' 

"Then  they  asked  Major  Buck,  and  father,  and  all 
round,  and  there  wasn't  one  that  had  a  bit  of  butter 
or  hog's  fat. 


334  'WAT    D    WN    EAST. 

"  i  So  your  short  cake  is  all  dough  agin,'  says  Aunt 
Molly,  says  she. 

"'ISTo  taint,  nother,'  says  Uncle  Major,  <I  never 
got  agin  a  stump  yet,  but  what  I  got  round  it  some 
way  or  other.  There's  some  of  that  bear's  grease  left 
yet,  and  there's  no  better  shortnin'  in  the  world.  Do 
let  us  have  the  short  cake  as  soon  as  you  can  make  it. 
Come,  boys,  stir  round  and  have  a  good  fire  ready  to 
bake  it.' 

"  Then  Aunt  Molly  stripped  up  her  sleeves,  and 
went  at  it,  and  the  boys  knocked  round  and  made  up 
a  fire,  and  there  was  a  brisk  business  carried  on  there 
for  awhile,  I  can  tell  you.  "While  Aunt  was  going  on 
with  the  short  cakes,  Uncle  Major  was  uncommon 
lively.  He  went  along  and  whispered  to  Major 
Buck,  and  Major  Buck  looked  up  at  him  with  a  wild 
kind  of  a  stare,  and  says  he.  i  you  don't  say  so !' 

"Then  Uncle  Major  whispered  to  mother,  and 
mother  says  she,  '  why,  Brother  Stow,  I  don't  believe 
you.' 

"  l  You  may  believe  it  or  not,'  says  Uncle  Major, 
says  he,  '  but  'tis  true  as  Major  Buck's  preachin'.' 

"Then  Uncle  Major  walked  up  and  down  the 
room,  whistlin'  and  snappin'  his  fingers,  and  some- 
times strikin'  up  into  Yankee  Doodle. 


THE     PUMPKIN     FRESHET.  335 

"  Aunt  Molly  she  dropped  her  work,  and  took  her 
hands  out  of  the  dough,  and  says  she,  c  Mr.  Stow,  I 
wonder  v/hat's  got  into  you ;  it  must  be  something 
more  than  the  short  cakes  I'm  sure,  that's  put  such 
life  into  you.' 

"  c  To  be  sure  'tis,'  says  Uncle,  '  for  the  short  cakes 
hain't  got  into  me  yet.'  And  then  he  turned  round 
and  give  a  wink  to  mother  and  Major  Buck. 

"  'Well,  there  now,'  says  Aunt  Molly,  says  she,  '  I 
know  you've  got  some  kind  of  a  secret  that  you've 
been  telling  these  folks  here,  and  I  declare  I  won't 
touch  the  short  cakes  again  till  I  know  what  'tis.' 

"  When  Aunt  Molly  put  her  foot  down,  there 
'twas,  and  nobody  could  move  her.  So  Uncle  Major 
knew  he  might  as  well  come  to  it  first  as  last ;  and 
says  he,  c  well,  Molly,  it's  no  use  keeping  a  secret 
from  you;  but  I've  got  something  will  make,  you 
stare  worse  than  the  short  cakes.' 

'"Well,  what  is  it,  Mr.  Stow?'  says  Aunt  Molly, 
'  out  with  it,  and  let  us  know  the  worst  of  it.' 

"  'Here,'  says  Uncle  Major,  says  he,  pulling  out  a 
little  paper  bundle  out  of  his  pocket,  and  holding  it 
up  to  Aunt  Molly's  face ;  'here,  smell  of  that,'  says 
he. 

"  As  soon  as  Aunt  Molly  smelt  of  it>  she  jumped 


336 

right  up  and  kissed  Uncle  Major  right  before  the 
whole  company,  and  says  she,  '  it's  tea !  as  true  as 
I'm  alive,  it's  the  real  bohea.  I  have  n't  smelt  any 
before  for  three  years,  but  I  knew  it  in  a  mo- 
ment.' 

" i  Yes,'  says  Uncle  Major,  i  it's  tea ;  there's  a 
quarter  of  a  pound  of  the  real  stuff.  "While  my  grist 
was  grinding,  I  went  into  the  store,  and  there  I  found 
they  had  some  tea  ;  and,  thinks  I,  we'll  have  one  dish 
for  all  hands,  to  go  with  the  short  cakes,  if  it  takes 
the  last  copper  I've  got.  So  I  knocked  up  a  bargain 
with  the  man,  and  bought  a  quarter  of  a  pound  ;  and 
here  'tis.  !N"ow,  Molly,  set  your  wits  to  work,  and 
give  us  a  good  dish  of  tea  with  the  short  cakes,  and 
we'll  have  a  real  thanksgiving ;  we'll  make  it  seem 
like  old  Connecticut  times  again.' 

" '  Well,  now,  Mr.  Stow,  what  shall  we  do  ?'  says 
Aunt  Molly, '  for  there  isn't  a  tea-kettle,  nor  a  tea-pot, 
nor  no  cups  and  sarcers  in  the  neighborhood.' 

"  And  that  was  true  enough  ;  they  had  n't  had  any 
tea  since  they  moved  from  Connecticut,  so  they 
had  n't  got  any  tea-dishes. 

"  c  Well,  I  don't  care,'  says  Uncle  Major,  says  he, 
'we'll  have  the  tea,  any  how.  There's  the  dish- 
kettle,  you  can  boil  the  water  in  that,  and  you  can 


THE     PUMPKIN      FRESHET.  837 

steep  the  tea  in  the  same,  and  when  it's  done  I  guess 
we'll  contrive  so  ne  way  or  other  to  drink  it.' 

"  So  Aunt  Mo  ly  dashed  round  and  drove  on  with 
the  work,  and  gr  t  the  short-cakes  made,  and  the  boys 
got  the  fire  ma(  Le,  and  they  got  the  cakes  down  to 
baking,  and  aboi;  t  four  quarts  of  water  hung  on  in  the 
dish-kettle  to  boi-  for  tea,  and  when  it  began  to  boil, 
the  whole  quarte  •  of  a  pound  of  tea  was  put  into  it 
to  steep.  Bime-1  >y  they  had  the  table  set  out,  and  a 
long  bench  on  or  3  side,  and  chairs  on  the  other  side, 
and  there  was  tw )  milk-pans  set  on  the  table  filled  up 
heaping  full  of  s  lort-cakes,  and  the  old  folks  all  sot 
down,  and  fell  to  eating,  and  we  children  stood  behind 
them  with  our  h  aids  full,  eating  tu.  And  oh,  them 
short-cakes,  seen:  5  to  me,  I  never  shall  forget  how 
good  they  tasted  ;he  longest  day  I  live. 

"  After  they  eft  a  little  while,  Uncle  Major  called 
for  the  tea ;  and  vhat  do  you  think  they  did  for  tea- 
cups ?  Why,  th  ^y  took  a  two  quart  wooden  bowl, 
and  turned  off  te  i  enough  to  fill  it,  and  sot  it  on  to 
the  table.  They  handed  it  up  to  Major  Buck  first,  as 
he  was  the  minisi  ar,  and  sot  to  the  head  of  the  table, 
and  he  took  a  drink,  and  handed  it  to  Uncle  Major 
Stow,  and  he  tool:  a  drink,  and  then  they  passed  it  all 

round  the  table,  from  one  to  t'other,  and  they  all  took 

15 


338 

a  drink ;  and  wlfen  that  was  gone,  they  turned  out 
the  rest  of  the  tea,  and  filled  the  bowl  up,  and  drinked 
round  again.  Then  they  poured  some  more  water 
into  the  dish-kettle,  and  steeped  the  tea  over  again  a 
few  minutes,  and  turned  out  a  bowlful,  and  passed 
it  round  for  us  children  to  taste  of.  But  if  it  want 
for  the  name  of  tea,  we  had  a  good  deal  rather  have 
water,  for  it  was  such  bitter,  miserable  stuff,  it  spoilt 
the  taste  of  the  short-cakes.  But  the  old  folks  said  if 
we  did  n't  love  it,  we  need  n't  drink  it ;  so  they  took 
it  and  drinkt  up  the  rest  of  it. 

"  And  there  they  sot  all  the  afternoon,  eating  short- 
cakes, and  drinking  tea,  and  telling  stories,  and  having 
a  merry  thanksgiving  of  it.  And  that's  the  way  we 
lived  at  the  time  of  the  punkin  freshet  in  the  valley 
of  Oquago." 

NOTE — The  main  incidents  in  this  sketch,  in  relation  to  the  early 
settlement  of  Oquago  Valley,  the  "  pumpkin  freshet,"  Major  Stovr's 
pedestrian  journey  of  forty  miles  to  mill,  the  bushel  of  wheat,  the 
short-cakes  and  the  tea,  are  all  historically  true. 


BAG3     FOE     A     SWEETHEAET.  339 


CHAPTEK  XIY. 

A  EACE  FOB  A  SWEETHEAET. 

HAEDLY  any  event  creates  a  stronger  sensation  in  a 
thinly  settled  New  England  village,  especially  among 
the  young  folks,  than  the  arrival  of  a  fresh  and  bloom- 
ing miss,  who  comes  to  make  her  abode  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. When,  therefore,  Squire  Johnson,  the  only 
lawyer  in  the  place,  and  a  very  respectable  man  of 
course,  told  Farmer  Jones  one  afternoon  that  his 
wife's  sister,  a  smart  girl  of  eighteen,  was  coming  in 
a  few  days  to  reside  in  his  family,  the  news  flew  like 
wildfire  through  Pond  Tillage,  and  was  the  principal 
topic  of  conversation  for  a  week.  Pond  Tillage  is 
situated  upon  the  margin  of  one  of  those  numerous 
and  beautiful  sheets  of  water  that  gem  the  whole  sur- 
face of  New  England,  like  the  bright  stars  in  an  even- 
ing sky,  and  received  its  appellation  to  distinguish 
it  from  two  or  three  other  villages  in  the  same  town, 
which  could  not  boast  of  a  similar  location.  When 
Farmer  Jones  came  in  to  his  supper,  about  sunset  that 


340  '  W  A.  Y     DOWN     EAST. 


aftornoon,  and  t<ft>k  his  seat  at  the  table,  the  eyes  of 
the  whole  family  were  upon  him,  for  there  was  a 
peculiar  working  about  his  mouth,  and  a  knowing 
glance  of  his  eye,  that  always  told  them  when  he  had 
anything  of  interest  to  communicate.  But  Farmer 
Jones'  secretiveness  was  large,  and  his  temperament 
not  the  most  active,  and  he  would  probably  have 
rolled  the  important  secret  as  a  sweet  morsel  under  his 
tongue  for  a  long  time,  had  not  Mrs.  Jones,  who  was 
rather  of  an  impatient  and  prjn^g  turn  of  mind,  con- 
trived to  draw  it  from  him. 

"  ]N"ow,  Mr.  Jones,"  said  she,  as  she  handed  him  his 
cup  of  tea,  "  what  is  it  you  are  going  to  say  ?  Do  out 
with  it;  for  you've  been  chawing  something  or  other 
over  in  your  mind  ever  since  you  came  into  the 
house." 

9    "  It's  my  tobacher,  I  s'^pose,"  said  Mr.  Jones,  with 
another  knowing  glance  of  his  eye. 

"  Now,  father,  what  is  the  use  ?"  said  Susan  ;  "  we 
all  know  you've  got  something  or  other  you  want  to 
say,  and  why  can't  you  tell  us  what  'tis." 

"  La,  who  cares  what  'tis  ?"  said  Mrs.  Jones  ;  "  if  it 
was  anything  worth  telling,  we  shouldn't  have  to  wait 
•for  it,  I  dare  say." 

Hereupon  Mrs.  Joues  assumed  an  air  of  the  most 


A      RACE     FOK     A     SWEETHEABT.  341 

perfect  indifference,  as  the  surest  way  of  conquering 
what  she  was  pleased  to  call  Mr.  Jones's  obstinacy, 
which,  by  the  way,  was  a  very  improper  term  to  apply 
in  the  case ;  for  it  was  purely  the  working  of  secre- 
tiveness,  without  the  least  particle  of  obstinacy 
attached  to  it. 

There  was  a  pause  of  two  or  three  minutes  in  the 
conversation,  till  Mr.  Jones  passed  his  cup  to  be  filled 
a  second  time,  when,  with  a  couple  of  preparatory 
hems,  he  began  to  let  out  the  secret. 

"We  are  to  have  a  new  neighbor  here  in  a  few 
days,"  said  Mr.  Jones,  stopping  short  when  he  had 
uttered  thus  much,  and  sipping  his  tea  and  filling  his 
mouth  with  food. 

Mrs.  Jones,  who  was  perfect  in  her  tactics,  said  not 
a  word,  but  attended  to  the  affairs  of  her  table,  as 
though  she  had  not  noticed  what  was  said.  The  far- 
mer's secretiveness  had  at  last  worked  itself  out,  and 
he  began  again. 

"  Squire  Johnson's  wife's  sister  is  coining  here  in  a 
few  days,  and  is  going  to  live  with  'em." 

The  news  being  thus  fairly  divulged,  it  left  free 
scope  for  conversation. 

"  Well,  I  wonder  if  she  is  a  proud,  stuck-up  piece,'*' 
Raid  Mrs,  Jones. 


342  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

c  I  should  n't  think  she  would  be,"  said  Susan,  "for 
there  aint  a  more  sociabler  woman  in  the  neighbor- 
hood than  Miss  Johnson.  So. if  she  is  at  all  like  her 
sister,  I  think  we  shall  like  her." 

"  I  wonder  how  old  she  is  ?"  said  Stephen,  who  was 
just  verging  toward  the  close  of  his  twenty-first  year. 

"  The  squire  called  her  eighteen,"  said  Mr.  Jones, 
giving  a  wink  to  his  wife,  as  much  as  to  say,  that's 
about  the  right  age  for  Stephen. 

"I  wonder  if  she  is  handsome,"  said  Susan,  who 
was  somewhat  vain  of  her  own  looks,  and  having 
been  a  sort  of  reigning  belle  in  Pond  Tillage,  for 
some  time,  she  felt  a  little  alarm  at  the  idea  of  a  rival. 

"  I  dare  be  bound  she's  handsome,"  said  Mrs.  Jones, 
"  if  she's  a  sister  to  Miss  Johnson,  for  where'll  you  find 
a  handsomer  woman  than  Miss  Johnson,  go  the  town 
through  ?" 

After  supper,  Stephen  went  down  to  Mr.  Robinson's 
store,  and  told  the  news  to  young  Charles  Eobinson, 
and  all  the  young  fellows,  who  were  gathered  there  for 
a  game  at  quoits,  and  a  ring  at  wrestling.  And  Susan 
went  directly  over  to  Mr.  Bean's  and  told  Patty,  and 
Patty  went  round  to  the  Widow  Davis'  and  told  Sally, 
and  before  nine  o'clock,  the  matter  was  pretty  well 
understood  in  about  every  house  in  the  village. 


A     RACE    FOB     A     SWEETHEART.  343 

At  the  close  of  the  fourth  day,  a  little  before  sunset, 
a  Chaise  was  seen  to  drive  up  to  Squire  Johnson's 
door.  Of  course  the  eyes  of  the  whole  village  were 
turned  in  that  direction.  Sally  Davis,  who  was  just 
coming  in  from  milking,  set  her  pail  down  on  the 
grass  by  the  side  of  the  road,  as  soon  as  the  chaise 
came  in  sight,  and  watched  it  till  it  reached  the  squire's 
door,  and  the  gentleman  and  lady  had  got  out  and 
gone  into  the  house.  Patty  Bean  was  doing  up  the 
ironing  that  afternoon,  and  she  had  just  taken  a  hot 
iron  from  the  fire  as  the  chaise  passed  the  door,  and 
she  ran  with  it  in  her  hand,  and  stood  on  the  doorsteps 
till  the  whole  ceremony  of  alighting,  greeting,  and 
entering  the  house  was  over.  Old  Mrs.  Bean  stood 
with  her  head  out  of  the  window,  her  iron-bowed 
spectacles  resting  up  on  the  top  of  her  forehead,  her 
shriveled  hand  placed  across  her  eyebrows,  to  defend 
her  red  eyes  from  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun,  and  her 
skinny  chin  protruding  about  three  inches  in  advance 
of  a  couple  of  stubs  of  teeth,  which  her  open  mouth 
exposed  fairly  to  view. 

"  It  seems  to  me,  they  are  dreadful  loving,"  said  old 
Mrs.  Bean,  as  she  saw  Mrs.  Johnson  descend  the  steps 
and  welcome  her  sister  with  a  kiss. 

"  La  me,  if  there  is  n't  the  squire  kissing  of  her  tu," 


344 

said  Patty ;  "  well,  I  declare,  I  would  a- waited  till  I 
got  into  the  house,  I'll  die  if  I  would  n't.  It  looks-  so 
vulgar  to  be  kissing  afore  folks,  and  out  of  doors  tu ; 
I  should  think  Squire  Johnson  woul  1  be  ashamed  of 
himself." 

"  Well,  I  should  n't,"  said  young  John  Bean,  who 
came  up  at  the  moment,  and  who  had  passed  the 
chaise  just  as  the  young  lady  alight ed  from  it.  "I 
should  n't  be  ashamed  to  kiss  sich  a  pretty  gal  as  that 
anyhow;  I'd  kiss  her  wherever  I  co  ild  catch  her,  if 
it  was  in  the  meetin-house." 

"  Why,  is  she  handsome,  Jack  ?"  s;  ad  Patty. 

"Yes,  she's  got  the  prettiest  little  =  puckery  mouth 
I've  seen  these  six  months.  Her  chc  eks  are  red,  and 
her  eyes  shine  like  new  buttons." 

"Well,"  replied  Patty,  "  if  she'll  01  ly  take  the  shine 
off  Susan  Jones  when  she  goes  to  m  ietin',  Sunday,  I 
sha'nt  care." 

"While  these  observations  were  goi  ig  on  at  old  Mr. 
Bean's,  Charles  Robinson,  and  a  gro  ip  of  young  fel- 
lows with  him,  where  standing  in  frc  nt  of  Robinson's 
store,  a  little  farther  down  the  road,  r  nd  watching  the 
scenes  that  was  passing  at  Squire  J  ohnson's.  They 
witnessed  the  whole  with  becoming  d  jcorum,  now  and 
then  making  a  remark  upon  the  fine  horse  and  the 


A    RACE     FOE     A     SWEETHEART.  345 

handsome  chaise,  till  they  saw  the  tall  squire  bend  his 
head  down,  and  give  the  young  lady  a  kiss,  when  they 
all  burst  out  into  a  loud  laugh.  In  a  moment,  being 
conscious  that  their  laugh  must  be  heard  and  noticed 
at  the  squire's,  they,  in  order  to  do  away  the  impres- 
sion it  must  necessarily  make,  at  once  turned  their 
heads  the  other  way,  and,  Charles  Robinson  who  was 
quick  at  an  expedient,  knocked  off  the  hat  of  the  lad 
who  was  standing  next  to  him,  and  then  they  all 
laughed  louder  than  before. 

"  Here  comes  Jack  Bean,"  said  Charles,  "  now  we 
shall  hear  something  about  her,  for  Jack  was  coming 
by  the  squire's  when  she  got  out  of  the  chaise.  How 
does  she  look,  Jack  ?" 

"  Handsome  as  a  pictur,"  said  Jack.  "  I  haint  seen 
a  prettier  gal  since  last  Thanksgiving  Day,  when  Jane 
Ford  was  here  to  visit  Susan  Jones." 

"  Black  eyes  or  blue  ?"  said  Charles. 

" Blue,"  said  Jack,  "but  all-fired  bright." 

"  Tall  or  short  ?"  said  Stephen  Jones,  who  was  ra- 
ther short  himself,  and  therefore  felt  a  particular, 
interest  on  that  point. 

"  Rather  short,"  said  Jack,  "  but  straight  and  round 
as  a  young  colt." 

*  Do  you  know  what  her  name  is  ?"  said  Charles 
15* 


84:6  'WAY    DOWN    EAST 

"  They  called  her  Lucy  when  she  got  out  of  the 
chaise/'  said  Jack,  "  and  as  Miss  Johnson's  name  was 
Brown  before  she  was  married,  I  s'pose  her  name 
must  be  Lucy  Brown." 

"  Just  such  a  name  as  I  like,"  said  Charles  Robin- 
son ;  "  Lucy  Brown  sounds  well.  Now  suppose  in 
order  to  get  acquainted  with  her,  we  all  hands  take  a 
sail  to-morrow  night,  about  this  time,  on  the  pond, 
and  invite  her  to  go  with  us." 

"  Agreed,"  said  Stephen  Jones.  "  Agreed,"  said 
Jack  Bean.  "  Agreed,"  said  all  hands. 

The  question  then  arose  who  should  carry  the  invi- 
tation to  her ;  and  the  young  men  being  rather  bash- 
ful on  that  score,  it  was  finally  settled  that  Susan 
Jones  should  bear  the  invitation,  and  accompany  her 
to  the  boat,  where  they  should  all  be  in  waiting  to  re- 
ceive her.  The  next  day  was  a  very  long  day,  at 
least  to  most  of  the  young  men  of  Pond  village-; 
and  promptly  an  hour  before  sunset,  most  of  them 
were  assembled,  with  a  half  a  score  of  their  sisters 
and  female  cousins,  by  a  little  stone  wharf  on  the 
margin  of  the  pond,  for  the  proposed  sail.  All  the 
girls  in  the  village  of  a  suitable  age  were  there, 
except  Patty  Bean.  She  had  undergone  a  good  deal 
of  fidget. ng  and  fussing  during  the  day,  to  prepare 


A    RACE     FOR     A     SWEETHEART.  347 

for  the  sail,  but  had  been  disappointed.  Her  new 
bonnet  was  not  done ;  and  as  to  wearing  her  old  nap- 
sided  bonnet,  she  declared  she  would  not,  if  she  never 
went.  Presently  Susan  Jones  and  Miss  Lucy  Brown 
were  seen  coming  down  the  road. 

In  a  moment,  all  was  quiet,  the  laugh  and  joke  were 
hushed,  and  each  one  put  on  his  best  looks.  "When 
they  arrived,  Susan  went  through  the  ceremony  of 
introducing  Miss  Brown  to  each  of  the  ladies  and 
gentlemen  present. 

" But  how  in  the  world  are  you  going  to  sail?"  said 
Miss  Brown,  "  for  there  isn't  a  breath  of  wind  ;  and  1 
don't  see -any  sail-boat,  neither." 

"  Oh,  the  less  wind  we  have,  the  better,  when  we 
gail  here,"  said  Charles  Robinson,  "  and  there  is  our 
sail-boat,"  pointing  to  a  flat-bottomed  scow-boat,  some 
twenty  feet  long  by  ten  wide. 

"  We  don't  use  no  sails,"  said  Jack  Bean  ;  c<  some- 
times, when  the  wind  is  fair,  we  put  up  a  bush  to 
help  pull  along  a  little,  and  when  'tis  n't,  we  row." 

The  party  were  soon  embarked  on  board  the  scow, 
and  a  couple  of  oars  were  set  in  motion,  and  they  gli- 
ded slowly  and  pleasantly  over  as  lovely  a  sheet  of 
water  as  ever  glowed  in  the  sunsetting  ray.  In  one 
hour's  time,  the  whole  party  felt  perfectly  acquainted 


34:8  'WAT    DOWN    EAS •..-. 

with  Miss  Lucy  Brown.  She  had  trlked  in  the  most 
lively  and  fascinating  mannei  ;  she  ha  1  told  stories  and 
sung  songs.  Among  others,  she  had  given  Moore's 
boat  song  with  the  sweetest  possible  effect ;  and  by 
the  time  they  returned  to  the  landing  it  would  hardly 
be  too  much  to  say  that  half  the  yc  ang  men  in  the 
party  were  decidedly  in  love  with  he  *. 

A  stern  regard  to  truth  requires  a  remark  to  be 
made  here,  not  altogether  favorable  to  Susan  Jones, 
which  is  the  more  to  be  regretted,  ac,  she  was  in  the 
main  an  excellent  hearted  girl,  and  lighly  esteemed 
by  the  whole  village.  It  was  obseived  that  as  the 
company  grew  more  and  more  pL  ased  with  Miss 
Lucy  Brown,  Susan  Jones  was  less  ai  d  less  animated, 
till  at  last  she  became  quite  reserved  and  apparently 
sad.  She,  however,  on  landing,  trea  :ed  Miss  Brown 
with  respectful  attention,  accompaniad  her  home  to 
Squire  Johnson's  door,  and  cordially  bade  her  good 
night. 

The  casual  glimpses  which  the  yoi  ng  men  of  Pond 
village  had  of  Miss  Brown  during  the  remainder  of  the 
week,  as  she  occasionally  stood  at  tho  door,  or  looked 
out  at  the  window,  or  once  or  twice  -  vhen  she  walked 
out  with  Susan  Jones,  and  the  fair  v  ew  they  all  had 
of  her  at  meeting  on  the  Sabbath,  served  but  .to 


A     RACE     FOR     A     SWEETHEART.  349 

increase  their  admiration,  and  to  render  her  more  and 
more  an  object  of  attraction.  She  was  regarded  by 
ull  as  a  prize,  and  several  of  them  were  already  plan- 
ning what  steps  it  was  best  to  take  in  order  to  win 
her.  The  two  most  prominent  candidates,  however, 
for  Miss  Brown's  favor,  were  Charles  Bobinson  and 
Stephen  Jones.  Their  position  and  standing  among 
the  young  men  of  the  village  seemed  to  put  all  others 
in  the  back-ground.  Charles,  whose  father  was 
wealthy,  had  every  advantage  which  money  could 
procure.  But  Stephen,  though  poor,  had  decidedly 
the  advantage  of  Charles  in  personal  recommenda- 
tions. He  had  more  talent,  was  more  sprightly  and 
intelligent,  and  more  pleasing  in  his  address.  From 
the  evening  of  the  sail  on  the  pond,  they  had  both 
watched  every  movement  of  Miss  Brown  with  the 
most  intense  interest ;  and,  as  nothing  can  deceive  a 
lover,  each  had,  with  an  interest  no  less  intense, 
watched  eveiy  movement  of  the  other.  They  had 
ceased  to  speak  to  each  other  about  her,  and  if  her 
name  was  mentioned  in  their  presence,  both  were 
always  observed  to  color. 

The  second  week  after  her  arrival,  through  the 
influence  of  Squire  Johnson,  the  district  school  was 
offered  to  Miss  Brown  on  the  other  side  of  the  pond. 


350 

which  offer  was  accepted,  and  she  went  immediately 
to  take  charge  of  it.  This  announcement  at  first  threw 
something  of  a  damper  upon  the  spirits  of  the  young 
people  of  Pond  Tillage.  But  when  it  was  understood 
that  the  school  would  continue  but  a  few  weeks,  and 
being  but  a  mile  and  a  half  distant,  Miss  Brown  would 
come  home  every  Saturday  afternoon,  and  spend  the 
Sabbath,  it  was  not  very  difficult  to  be  reconciled  to 
the  temporary  arrangement.  The  week  wore  away 
heavily,  especially  to  Charles  Robinson  and  Stephen 
Jones.  They  counted  the  days  impatiently  till  Satur- 
day, and  on  Saturday  they  counted  the  long  and  lag- 
ging hours  till  noon.  They  had  both  made  up  their 
minds  that  it  would  be  dangerous  to  wait  longer,  and 
they  had  both  resolved  not  to  let  another  Sabbath  pass 
without  making  direct  proposals  to  Miss  Brown. 

Stephen  Jones  was  too  early  a  riser  for  Charles 
Robinson,  and,  in  any  enterprize  where  both  were 
concerned,  was  pretty  sure  to  take  the  lead,  except 
where  money  could  carry  the  palm,  and  then,  of 
course,  it  was  always  borne  away  by  Charles.  As 
Miss  Lucy  had  been  absent  most  of  the  week,  and  was 
to  be  at  home  that  afternoon,  Charles  Robinson  had 
madr  an  arrangement  with  his  mother  and  sister  to 
have  i  littf  e  tea  party  in  the  evening,  for  the  purpose 


A     RAC£     FOR     A     SWEETHEART.  351 

of  inviting  Miss  Brown ;  and  then,  of  course,  he 
should  walk  home  with  her  in  the  evening  ;  and  then, 
of  course,  would  be  a  good  opportunity  to  break  the 
ice,  and  make  known  to  her  his  feelings  and  his  wishes. 
Stephen  Jones,  however,  was  more  prompt  in  his 
movements.  He  had  got  wind  of  the  proposed  tea 
party,  although  himself  and  sister,  for  obvious  reasons, 
had  not  been  invited,  and  he  resolved  not  to  risk  the 
arrival  of  Miss  Brown  and  her  visit  to  Mr.  Robinson's 
before  he  should  see  her.  She  would  dismiss  her 
school  at  noon,  and  come  the  distance  of  a  mile  and 
a  half  round  the  pond  home.  His  mind  was  at  once 
made  up.  He  would  go  round  and  meet  her  at  the 
school-house,  and  accompany  her  on  her  walk.  There, 
in  that  winding  road,  around  those  delightful  waters, 
with  the  tall  and  shady  trees  over-head,  and  the  wild 
grape-vines  twining  round  their  trunks,  and  climbing 
to  the  branches,  while  the  wild  birds  were  singing 
through  the  woods,  and  the  wild  ducks  playing  in  the 
coves  along  the  shore,  surely  there,  if  anywhere  in 
the  world,  could  a  man  bring  his  mind  up  to  the  point 
of  speaking  of  love. 

Accordingly,  a  little  before  noon,  Stephen  washed 
and  brushed  himself  up,  and  put  on  his  Sunday 
clothes,  and  started  on  his  expedition.  In  order  to 


352 

avoid  observation,  he  took  a  back  route  across  the 
field,  intending  to  come  into  the  road  by  the  pond,  a 
little  out  of  the  village.  As  ill-luck  would  have  it, 
Charles  Robinson  had  been  out  in  the  same  direction, 
and  was  returning  with  an  armful  of  green  boughs 
and  wild  flowers,  to  ornament  the  parlor  for  the  even- 
ing. He  saw  Stephen,  and  noticed  his  dress,  and  the 
direction  he  was  going,  and  he  at  once  smoked  the 
whole  business.  His  first  impulse  was  to  rush  upon 
him  and  collar  him,  and  demand  thai  he  should 
return  back.  But  then  he  recollected  that  in  the  last 
scratch  he  had  with  Stephen,  two  or  three  years 
before,  he  had  a  little  the  worst  of  it,  and  he  instinct- 
ively stood  still,  while  Stephen  passed  on  without 
seeing  him.  It  flashed  upon  his  mind  at  once  that 
the  question  must  now  be  reduced  to  a  game  of  speed. 
If  he  could  by  any  means  gain  the  school-house  first, 
and  engage  Miss  Lucy  to  walk  home  with  him,  he 
should  consider  himself  safe.  But  if  Stephen  should 
reach  the  school-house  first,  he  should  feel  a  good  deal 
of  uneasiness  for  the  consequences.  Stephen  was 
walking,  very  leisurely,  and  unconscious  that  he  was 
in  any  danger  of  a  competitor  on  the  course,  and  it 
was  important  that  his  suspicions  should  not  bt> 
awakened.  Charles  therefore  remained  perfectly 


A     RACE     FOR     A     SWEETHEART.  353 

quiet  till  Stephen  had  got  a  little  out  of  hearing,  and 
then  threw  down  his  bushes  and  flowers,  and  ran  to 
the  wharf  below  the  store  with  his  utmost  speed.  He 
had  one  advantage  over  Stephen.  He  was  ready  at  a 
moment's  warning  to  start  on  an  expedition  of  this 
kind,  for  Sunday  clothes  was  an  every  day  affair  with 
him. 

There  was  a  light  canoe  belonging  to  his  father 
lying  at  the  wharf,  and  a  couple  of  stout  boys  were 
there  fishing.  Charles  hailed  them,  and  told  them  if 
they  would  row  him  across  the  pond  as  quick  as  they 
possibly  could,  he  would  give  them  a  quarter  of  a 
dollar  a-piece.  This,  in  their  view,  was  a  splendid 
offer  for  their  services,  and  they  jumped  on  board 
with  alacrity  and  manned  the  oars.  Charles  took  a 
paddle  and  stood  in  the  stern  to  steer  the  boat,  and 
help  propel  her  ahead.  The  distance  by  water  was  a 
little  less  than  by  land,  and  although  Stephen  had 
considerably  the  start  of  him,  he  believed  he  should 
be  able  to  reach  the  school-house  first,  especially  if 
Stephen  should  not  see  him  and  quicken  his  pace.  In 
one  minute  after  he  arrived  at  the  wharf,  the  boat 
was  under  full  way.  The  beys  laid  down  to  the  oars 
with  right  good  will,  and  Charles  put  out  all  his 
strength  upon  the  paddle.  They  were  shooting  over 


354 

the  water  twice  as  fast  as  a  man  could  walk,  and 
Charles  already  felt  sure  of  the  victory.  But  when 
they  had  gone  about  half  a  mile,  they  came  in  the 
range  of  a  little  opening  in  the  trees  on  the  shore, 
where  the  road  was  exposed  to  view,  and  there,  at 
that  critical  moment,  was  Stephen  pursuing  his  easy 
wa^k.  Charles's  heart  was  in  his  mouth.  Still  it  was 
possible  Stephen  might  not  see  them,  for  he  had  not 
yet  looked  around.  Lest  the  sound  of  the  oars  might 
attract  his  attention,  Charles  had  instantly,  on  coming 
in  sight,  ordered  the  boys  to  stop  rowing,  and  he 
grasped  his  paddle  with  breathless  anxiety,  and 
waited  for  Stephen  again  to  disappear.  But  just  as 
he  was  upon  the  point  of  passing  behind  some  trees, 
where  the  boat  would  be  out  of  his  sight,  Stephen 
turned  his  head  and  looked  round.  He  stopped 
short,  turned  square  round,  and  stood  for  the  space  of 
a  minute  looking  steadily  at  the  boat.  Then  lifting 
his  hand,  and  shaking  his  fist  resolutely  at  Charles,  as 
much  as  to  say,  I  understand  you,  he  started  into  a 
quick  run. 

"  Now,  boys,"  said  Charles,  "  buckle  to  your  oars 
for  your  lives,  and  if  you  get  to  the  shore  so  I  can 
reach  the  school-house  before  Stephen  does,  I'll  give 
you  a  half  a  dollar  a~piece." 


A     RACE     FOE     A     SWEETHEART.  855 

This,  of  course,  added  new  life  to  the  boys,  and 
increased  speed  to  the  boat.  Their  little  canoe  flew 
over  the  water  almost  like  a  bird,  carrying  a  white  bone 
in  her  mouth,  and  leaving  a  long  ripple  on  the  glassy 
wave  behind  her.  Charles'  hands  trembled,  but  still 
he  did  good  execution  with  his  paddle.  Although  Ste- 
phen upon  the  run  was  a  very  different  thing  from 
Stephen  at  a  slow  walk,  Charles  still  had  strong  hopes 
of  winning  the  race,  and  gaining  his  point.  He 
several  times  caught  glimpses  of  Stephen  through  the 
trees,  and,  as  well  as  he  could  judge,  the  boat  had 
a  little  the  best  of  it.  But  when  they  came  out  into 
the  last  opening,  where  for  a  little  way  they  had  a 
fair  view  of  each  other — Charles  thought  Stephen  ran 
faster  than  ever ;  and  although  he  was  now  consider- 
ably nearer  the  school-house  than  Stephen  was,  he 
still  trembled  for  the  result.  They  were  now  within 
fifty  rods  of  the  shore,  and  Charles  appealed  again  to 
the  boys'  love  of  money. 

"  Now,"  said  he,  "  we  have  not  a  minute  to  spare. 

If  we  gain  the  point,  I'll  give  you  a  dollar  a-piece." 

\ 
The  boys  strained  every  nerve,  and  Charles'  paddle 

made  the  water  fly  like  the  tail  of  a  wounded  shark. 
When  within  half  a  dozen  rods  of  the  shore,  Charles 
urged  them  again  to  spring  with  all  their  might,  and 


356  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

one  of  the  boys  making  a  desperate  plunge  upon  his 
oar,  snapped  it  in  two.  The  first  pull  of  the  other 
oar  headed  the  boat  from  land.  Charles  saw  at  once 
that  the  delay  must  be  fatal,  if  he  depended  on  the 
boat  to  carry  him  ashore.  The  water  was  but  two 
feet  deep,  and  the  bottom  was  sandy.  He  sprang 
from  the  boat,  and  rushed  toward  the  shore  as  fast  as 
he  was  able  to  press  through  the  water.  He  flew  up 
the  bank,  and  along  the  road,  till  he  reached  the 
school-house.  The  door  was  open,  but  he  could  see 
no  one  within.  Several  children  were  at  play  round 
the  door,  who,  having  seen  Charles  approach  with 
such  haste,  stood  with  mouths  and  eyes  wide  open, 
staring  at  him. 

"  Where's  the  schoolma'am  ?"  said  Charles,  hastily, 
to  one  of  the  largest  boys. 

"  Why,"  said  the  boy,  opening  his  eyes  still  wider, 
"  is  any  of  the  folks  dead  ?" 

"  You  little  rascal,  I  say,  where's  the  school  ma'am  ?" 

"  She  just  went  down  that  road,"  said  the  boy, 
"two  or  three  minutes  ago." 

"  Was  she  alone  t"  said  Charles. 

"  She  started  alone,"  said  the  boy,  "  and  a  man 
met  her  out  there  a  little  ways,  and  turned  about  and 
went  with  her ' 


A    RACE    FOft     i     SWEETHEART.  357 

Charles  felt  that  his  cake  was  all  dough  again,  and 
that  he  might  as  well  give  it  up  for  a  bad  job,  and  go 
home.  Stephen  Jones  and  Lucy  Brown  walked  very 
leisurely  home  through  the  woods,  and  Charles  and 
the  boys  went  very  leisurely  in  the  boat  across  the 
pond.  They  even  stopped  by  the  way,  and  caught  a 
mess  of  fish,  since  the  boys  had  thrown  their  lines 
into  the  boat  when  they  started.  And  when  they 
reached  the  wharf,  Charles,  in  order  to  show  that  he 
had  been  a  fishing,  took  a  large  string  of  the  fish  in 
his  hand,  and  carried  them  up  to  the  house.  Miss 
Lucy  Brown,  on  her  way  home  through  the  woods, 
had  undoubtedly  been  informed  of  the  proposed  tea- 
party  for  the  evening,  to  which  she  was  to  be  invited, 
and  to  which  Stephen  Jones  and  Susan  Jones  were 
not  invited ;  and  when  Miss  Lucy's  invitation  came, 
she  sent  word  back  that  she  was  engaged. 


358  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 


CHAPTEK  XY. 

OLD     MYERS. 

IN  a  country  like  ours,  of  boundless  fcrests,  rapidly 
filling  up  with  a  growing  and  widely  spreading  popu- 
lation, the  pioneers  of  the  wilderness,  those  hardy 
and  daring  spirits  who  take  their  lives  in  their  hands, 
and  march,  in  advance  of  civilization,  into  the  wild 
woods,  to  endure  privations  among  the  wild  animals, 
and  run  the  hazard  of  wild  warfare  among  the  savage 
tribes,  form  a  very  peculiar  and  interesting  class. 
Whether  it  is  a  natural  hardihood  and  boldness,  and 
love  of  adventure,  or  a  desire  for  retirement,  or  a 
wish  to  be  free  from  the  restraints  of  civilized  society, 
that  thus  leads  this  peculiar  class  of  people  into  the 
wilderness,  it  matters  not  now  to  inquire.  Probably 
all  these  motives,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  go  to 
make  up  the  moving  principle. 

At  the  head  of  this  class  is  the  renowned  Daniel 
Boone,  whose  name  will  live  as  long  as  his  Old  Ken- 
tucky shall  find  a  place  on  the  page  of  history.  He 


OLD     MYERS.  359 

was  the  great  Napoleon  among  the  pioneers  of  the 
wilderness.  But  there  are  many  others  of  less  note, 
whose  lives  were  also  filled  with  remarkable  adven- 
tures, and  curious  and  interesting  incidents.  Indeed, 
every  State  in  the  Union  has  had  more  or  less  of  these 
characters,  which  go  to  make  up  the  class.  One  of 
these  was  Old  Myers,  the  Panther ;  a  man  of  iron 
constitution,  of  great  power  of  bone  and  muscle,  and 
an  indomitable  courage  that  knew  no  mixture  of  fear. 
Four  times,  in  four  different  States,  had  Myers 
pitched  his  lonely  tent  in  the  wilderness,  among 
savage  tribes,  and  waited  for  the  tide  of  white  popula- 
tion to  overtake  him  ;  and  four  times  he  had  "  pulled 
up  stakes  "  and  marched  still  deeper  into  the  forest, 
where  he  might  enjoy  more  elbow-room,  and  exclaim 
with  Selkirk, 

"I  am  monarch  of  all  I  survey — 
My  right  there  is  none  to  dispute." 

And  now,  at  the  time  of  which  we  speak,  he  had  a 
fifth  time  pitched  his  tent  and  struck  his  fire  on  the 
banks  of  the  Illinois  river,  in  the  territory  which 
afterwards  grew  up  to  a  State  of  the  same  name. 
Having  lived  so  much  in  the  wilderness,  and  associ- 
ated so  much  with  the  aborigines,  he  had  acquired 
much  of  their  habits  and  mode  of  life,  and  by  his 


360  'WAY     DOWN     EAST. 

location  on  the  Illinois  river,  he  soon  became  rather  a 
favorite  among  the  Indian  tribes  around  him.  His 
skill  with  the  rifle  and  the  bow,  and  his  personal 
feats  of  strength  and  agility,  were  well  calculated  to 
excite  their  admiration  and  applause.  He  often  took 
the  lead  among  them  in  their  games  of  sport.  It  was 
on  one  of  these  occasions  that  he  acquired  the 
additional  name  of  the  Panther. 

A  party  of  eight  or  ten  Indians,  accompanied  by 
Myers,  had  been  out  two  or  three  days  on  a  hunting 
excursion,  and  were  returning,  laden  with  the  spoils 
of  the  chase,  consisting  of  various  kinds  of  wild  fowl, 
squirrels,  racoons  and  buffalo-skins.  They  had  used 
all  their  ammunition  except  a  single  charge,  which 
was  reserved  in  the  rifle  of  the  chief  for  any  emer- 
gency, or  choice  game  which  might  present  itself  on 
the  way  home.  A  river  lay  in  the  way,  which  could 
be  crossed  only  at  one  point,  without  subjecting  them 
to  an  extra  journey  of  some  ten  miles  round.  "When 
they  arrived  at  this  point,  they  suddenly  came  upon 
a  huge  panther,  which  had  taken  possession  of  the 
pass,  and,  like  a  skilful  general,  confident  of  his 
strong  position,  seemed  determined  to  hold  it.  The 
party  retreated  a  little,  and  stood  at  bay  for  a  while, 
and  consulted  what  should  be  done. 


OLD     MYERS.  361 

Various  methods  were  attempted  to  decoy  or 
frighten  the  creature  from  his  position,  but  without 
success.  He  growled  defiance  whenever  they  came 
in  sight,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  If  you  want  this  strong- 
hold come  and  tii,ke  it !"  The  animal  appeared  to  be 
very  powerful  Jind  fierce.  ^  The  trembling  Indians 
hardly  dared  to  come  in  sight  of  him,  and  all  the 
reconnoitering  had  to  be  done  by  Myers.  The 
majority  were  in  favor  of  retreating  as  fast  as  possi- 
ble, and  taking  the  long  journey  of  ten  miles  round 
for  home  ;  but  ^  [yers  resolutely  resisted.  He  urged 
the  chief,  whose  rifle  was  loaded,  to  march  up  to  the 
panther,  take  g<  >od  aim  and  shoot  him  down ;  pro- 
mising that  the  lest  of  the  party  would  back  him  up 
closely  with  thei/  knives  and  tomahawks,  in  case  of  a 
miss-fire.  But  t  le  chief  refused  ;  he  knew  too  well 
the  nature  and  j  ower  of  the  animal.  The  creature, 
he  contended,  w;  is  exceedingly  hard  to  kill.  Not  one 
shot  in  twenty,  however  well  aimed,  would  dispatch 
him ;  and  if  one  shot  failed,  it  was  a  sure  death  to 
the  shooter,  for  the  infuriated  animal  would  spring 
apon  him  in  an  i  astant,  and  tear  him  to  pieces.  For 
umilar  reasons  every  Indian  in  the  party  declined  to 
hazard  a  battle  vith  the  enemy  in  any  shape. 

At  last  Myers,  in  a  burst  of  anger  and  impatience, 
16 


called  them  all  a  set  of  cowards,  and  snatching  the 
loaded  rifle  from  the  hands  of  the  chief,  to  the  amaze- 
ment of  the  whole  party,  marched  deliberately  towards 
the  panther.  The  Indians  kept  at  a  cautious  distance, 
to  watch  the  result  of  the  fearful  battle.  Myers 
walked  steadily  up  to  within  about  two  rods  of  the 
panther,  keeping  his  eyes  fixed  upon  him,  while  the 
eyes  of  the  panther  flashed  fire,  and  his  heavy  growl 
betokened  at  once  the  power  and  firmness  of  the 
animal.  At  about  two  rods  distance,  Myers  levelled 
his  rifle,  took  deliberate  aim,  and  fired.  The  shot 
inflicted  a  heavy  wound,  but  not  a  fatal  one ;  and 
the  furious  animal,  maddened  with  the  pain,  made 
but  two  leaps  before  he  reached  his  assailant.  Myers 
met  him  with  the  butt  end  of  his  rifle,  and  staggered 
him  a  little  with  two  or  three  heavy  blows,  but  the 
rifle  broke,  and  the  animal  grappled  him,  apparently 
with  his  full  power.  The  Indians  at  once  gave  Myers 
up  for  dead,  and  only  thought  of  making  a  timely 
retreat  for  themselves. 

Fearful  was  the  struggle  between  Myers  and  the 
panther,  but  the  animal  had  the  best  of  it  at  first,  for 
they  soon  came  to  the  ground,  and  Myers  underneath, 
suffering  under  the  joint  operation  of  sharp  •  hws  and 
teeth,  applied  by  the  most  powerful  muscles  In  fall- 


OLD     MYERS.  3(>3 

• 

ing,  however,  Myers,  whose  right  hand  was  at  liberty, 
had  drawn  a  long  knife.  As  soon  as  they  came  to  the 
ground,  his  right  arm  being  free,  he  made  a  desperate 
plunge  at  the  vitals  of  the  animal,  and,  as  his  good 
luck  would  have  it,  reached  his  heart.  The  loud 
shrieks  of  the  panther  showed  that  it  was  a  death- 
wound.  He  quivered  convulsively,  shook  his  victim 
with  a  spasmodic  leap  and  plunge,  then  loosened  his 
hold,  and  fell  powerless  by  his  side.  Myers,  whose 
wounds  were  severe  but  not  mortal,  rose  to  his  feet, 
bleeding,  and  much  exhausted,  but  with  life  and 
strength  to  give  a  grand  whoop,  which  conveyed  the 
news  of  his  victory  to  his  trembling  Indian  friends. 

They  now  came  up  to  him  with  shouting  and  joy, 
and  so  full  of  admiration  that  they  were  almost  ready 
to  worship  him.  They  dressed  and  bound  up  his 
wounds,  and  were  now  ready  to  pursue  their  journey 
home  without  the  least  impediment.  Before  crossing 
the  river,  however,  Myers  cut  off  the  head  of  the 
panther,  which  he  took  home  with  him,  and  fastened 
it  up  by  the  side  of  his  cabin-door,  where  it  remained 
for  vears.  a  memorial  of  a  deed  that  excited  the  admi 
ration  of  the  Indians  in  all  that  region.  From  that 
time  forth  they  gave  Myers  that  name,  and  always 
called  him  the  Panther 


Time  rolled  on,  and  the  Panther  ccitinued  to 
occupy  his  hut  in  the  wilderness,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Illinois  river,  a  general  favorite  among  the  savages, 
and  exercising  great  influence  over  them.  At  last  the 
tide  of  white  population  again  overtook  him,  and  he 
found  himself  once  more  surrounded  by  white  neigh- 
bors. Still,  however,  he  seemed  loth  to  forsake  the 
noble  Illinois,  on  whose  banks  he  had  been  so  long  a 
fixture,  and  he  held  on,  forming  a  sort  of  connecting 
link  between  the  white  settlers  and  the  Indians. 

At  length  hostilities  broke  out,  which  resulted  in 
the  memorable  Black  Hawk  War,  that  spread  desola- 
tion through"  that  part  of  the  country.  Parties  of 
Indians  committed  the  most  wanton  and  cruel  depre- 
dations, often  murdering  old  friends  and  companions, 
with  whom  they  had  held  long  conversation.  The 
white  settlers,  for  some  distance  round,  flocked  to  the 
cabin  of  the  Panther  for  protection.  His  cabin  was 
transformed  into  a  sort  of  garrison,  and  was  filled  by 
more  than  a  hundred  men,  women,  and  children,  who 
rested  almost  their  only  hope  of  safety  on  the  prowess 
of  the  Panther,  and  his  influence  over  the  savages. 

At  this  time  a  party  of  about  nine  hundred  of  the 
Iroquois  tribe  were  on  the  banks  of  the  Illinois,  about 
a  mile  from  the  garrison  of  Myers,  and  nearly  oppo- 


OLD     MYERS.  365 

site  the  present  town  3f  La  Salle.  One  day  news 
was  brought  to  the  camp  of  Myers,  that  his  brother- 
in-law  and  wife,  and  their  three  children,  had  beer 
cruelly  murdered  by  some  of  the  Indians.  The  Pan 
ther  heard  the  sad  news  in  silence.  The  eyes  of  the 
people  were  upon  him,  to  see  what  ho  would  do 
Presently  they  beheld  him  with  a  deliberate  and 
determined  air,  putting  himself  in  battle  array.  He 
girded  on  his  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife,  and 
shouldered  his  loaded  rifle,  and,  at  open  mid-day, 
silently  and  alone,  bent  his  steps  towards  the  Indian 
encampment.  "With  a  fearless  and  firm  tread,  he 
marched  directly  into  the  midst  of  the  assembly, 
elevated  his  rifle  at  the  head  of  the  principal  chief 
present,  and  shot  him  dead  on  the  spot.  He  then 
deliberately  severed  the  head  from  the  trunk,  and 
holding  it  up  by  the  hair  before  the  awe-struck  multi- 
tude, he  exclaimed,  "  You  have  murdered  my  brother- 
in-law,  his  wife  and  their  little  ones ;  and  now  I  have 
murdered  your  chief.  I  am  now  even  with  you. 
But  now  mind,  every  one  of  you  that  is  found 
here  to-morrow  morning  at  sunrise,  is  a  dead  In- 
dian!" 

All  this  was  accomplished  without  the  least  molesta- 
tion from  the  Indians.     These  people  are  accustomed 


$66 

to  regard  any  remarkable  deed  of  daring  as  the 
result  of  some  supernatural  agency ;  and  doubtless  so 
considered  the  present  incident.  Believing  their 
chief  had  fallen  a  victim  to  some  unseen  power,  they 
were  stupin'ed  with  terror,  and  looked  on  without 
even  a  thought  of  resistance.  Myers  bore  off  the 
head  in  triumph  to  his  cabin,  where  he  was  welcomed 
by  his  anxious  friends,  almost  as  one  returning  from 
the  dead.  The  next  morning  not  an  Indian  was  to  be 
found  anywhere  in  the  vicinity.  Their  camps  were 
deserted,  and  they  left  forever  their  ancient  haunts 
and  their  dead,  and  that  part  of  the  State  was  not 
molested  by  them  afterwards. 

The  last  account  we  have  of  Old  Myers,  the  Pan- 
ther, was  in  1838.  The  old  man  was  eighty  years  of 
age,  but  his  form  was  still  erect,  and  his  steps  were 
firm;  his  eyes  were  not  dim,  nor  his  natural  force 
abated.  Up  to  that  time  he  had  remained  on  the 
banks  of  his  favorite  Illinois.  But  now  the  old 
veteran  pioneer  grew  discontented.  The  State  was 
rapidly  filling  up  with  inhabitants,  and  the  forms  and 
restraints  of  civilization  pressed  upon  him.  The 
wildness  and  freshness  of  the  country  were  destroyed. 
He  looked  abroai  from  his  old  favorite  hills,  and  he 
saw  that  IL  every  direction  the  march  of  civilization 


OLD     MYERS.  367 

had  broken  in  upon  the  repose  of  the  old  forest,  and 
his  heart  again  yearned 

"  For  a  lodge  in  some  vast  wilderness, 
Some  boundless  contiguity  of  shade, 
Where  rumor  of  oppression  and  deceit, 
Of  unsuccessful  or  successful  war, 
Might  never  reach  him  more." 

The  old  man  talked  about  selling  out  and  once 
more  "  pulling  up  stakes  "  to  be  off. 

"  What  ?"  said  a  neighbor,  "  you  are  not  going  to 
leave  us,  Father  Myers,  and  take  yourself  to  the 
woods  again  in  your  old  age  ?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Myers,  "  I  can't  stand  this  eternal 
bustle  of  the  world  around  me.  I  must  be  off  in  the 
woods,  where  it  is  quiet,  and  as  soon  as  I  can  sell  out 
my  improvements,  I  shall,  make  tracks." 

The  venerable  "  squatter  "  had  no  fee  in  the  land 
he  occupied,  but  the  improvements  on  it  were  his 
jwn,  and  it  was  not  long  before  a  gentleman  appeared 
jvho  offered  a  fair  equivalent  for  these,  with  a  right 
to  purchase  the  soil.  The  bargain  was  completed, 
and  the  money  counted  out,  and  the  Panther  began 
to  prepare  for  his  departure. 

"  Where  are  you  going,  Father  Myers  ?"  said  the 
neighbor. 


368 

"  Well,  I  reckon,"  said  the  old  Par  .flier,  "  I  shall  go 
away  off  somewhere  to  the  further  t-  ide  of  Missouri ; 
I  understand  the  people  haint  got  there  yet,  and 
there's  plenty  of  woods  there." 

He  proceeded  to  array  himself  ?or  his  journey. 
He  put  on  the  same  hunting-shirt  which  he  wore 
when  he  killed  the  Indian  chief.  Ho  loaded  his  rifle 
and  girded  on  his  tomahawk  and  seal  ping-knife ;  and, 
having  filled  his  knapsack  with  such  articles  as  he 
chose  to  carry  with  him,  he  buckled  i  c  upon  his  shoul- 
ders, and  giving  a  farewell  glance  round  the  cabin, 
he  sallied  forth  and  took  the  wester  i  road  for  Mis- 
souri. Wken  he  had  reached  a  little  eminence  some 
rods  distant,  he  was  observed  to  h(  sitate,  and  stop, 
and  look  back.  Presently  he  return  3d  slowly  to  the 
cabin. 

"  Have  you  forgot  anything,  Father  Myers  ?"  said 
the  occupant. 

"  I  believe,"  said  the  old  man,  "  I  must  take  the 
head  of  the  panther  along  with  me,  if  you  have  no 
objections." 

"  Certainly,"  said  the  gentleman  "  any  personal 
/natters  you  have  a  perfect  right  to." 

The  old  man  took  down  the  dried-up  remains  ot 
the  panther's  head  from  the  wall,  where  it  had  hung 


OLD     MYERS.  369 

for  many  years,  and  fastened  it  to  his  knapsack 
Then  taking  one  last  lingering  look  of  the  premises, 
he  turned  to  the  occupant,  and  asked  if  he  was 
willing  he  should  give  his  "  grand  yell "  before  he 
started  on  his  journey. 

"  Certainly,  Father  Myers,"  said  the  gentleman ; 
"  1  wish  you  to  exercise  the  ntmost  freedom  in  all 
personal  matters  before  you  leave." 

At  this  the  old  Panther  gave  a  long,  and  loud, 
shrill  whoop,  that  rang  through  the  welkin,  and  was 
echoed  by  forest  and  hills  for  miles  around. 

"  There,"  said  the  old  man,  "  now  my  blessing  is 
on  the  land  and  on  you.  Your  ground  will  always 
yield  an  abundance,  and  you  will  always  prosper." 

Then  Old  Myers,  the  Panther,  turned  his  face  to 
the  westward,  and  took  up  his  solitary  march  for  the 
distant  wilderness. 


3TC 


CHAPTEK  XYI. 


As  Mr.  Seth  "Woodsum  was  mowing  one  morning 
in  his  lower  haying  field,  and  his  eldest  son,  Obediah, 
a  smart  boy  of  thirteen,  was  opening  the  mown  grass 
to  the  sun,  Mr.  Woodsum  looked  up  towards  his 
house,  and  beheld  his  little  daughter  Harriet,  ten 
years  of  age,  running"  towards  him  with  her  utmost 
speed.  As  she  came  up,  he  perceived  she  was  greatly 
agitated ;  tears  were  running  down  her  cheeks,  anc 
she  had  scarcely  breath  enough  to  speak. 

"  O,  father,"  she  faintly  articulated,  "  mother  is 
dreadful  sick ;  she's  on  the  bed,  and  says  she  shall  die 
before  you  get  there." 

Mr.  Woodsum  was  a  man  of  a  sober,  sound  mind, 
and  calm  nerves ;  but  he  had,  what  sometimes  hap- 
pens in  this  cold  and  loveless  world  of  ours,  a  tender 
attachment  for  his  wife,  which  made  the  message  of 
the  little  girl  fall  upon  his  heart  like  a  dagger.  He 
dropped  his  scythe,  and  ran  with  great  haste  to  the 


3T1 

house.  Obediah,  who  was  at  the  other  end  of  the 
field,  seeing  this  unusual  movement  of  his  father, 
dropped  his  fork,  and  ran  with  all  his  might,  and  the 
two  entered  the  house  almost  at  the  same  time. 

Mi,  Woodsum  hastened  to  the  bedside,  and  took 
his  wife's  hand.  "  My  dear  Sally,''  said  he,  "  what  is 
the  matter?" 

"What  is  the  matter?"  echoed  Mrs.  Woodsum, 
with  a  plaintive  groan.  "  I  should  n't  think  you 
would  need  to  ask  what  is  the  matter,  Mr.  "Woodsum. 
Don't  you  see  I  am  dying  ?" 

"  Why,  no,  Sally,  you  don't  look  as  if  you  was 
dying.  What  is  the  matter  ?  how  do  you  feel  ?" 

"  Oh,  I  shan't  live  till  night,"  said  Mrs.  Woodsum 
irith  a  heavy  sigh ;  "  I  am  going  fast." 

Mr.  Woodsum,  without  waiting  to  make  further 
inquiries,  told  Obediah  to  run  and  jump  on  to  the 
horse,  and  ride  over  after  Doctor  Fairfield,  and  get 
trim  to  come  over  as  quick  as  he  can  come.  "  Tell 
rim  I  am  afraid  your  mother  is  dying.  If  the  doctor's 
jorse  is  away  off  in  the  pasture,  ask  him  to  take  our 
horse  and  come  right  away  over,  while  you  go  and 
catch  his." 

Obediah,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  and  his  heart  in  his 
mouth,  flew  ag  though  he  had  wings  added  to  his  feet, 


372  WAY     DOWN     EAS'?. 

and  in  three  minutes'  time  was  mounted  upon  Old 
Grey,  and  galloping  with  full  speed  towards  Doctor 
Fairfield's. 

"My  dear,"  said  Mr.  Woodsum,  leaning  his  head 
upon  the  pillow,  "  how  do  you  feel  1  What  makes  you 
think  you  are  dying?"  And  he  tenderly  kissed  her 
foiehead  as  he  spoke,  and  pressed  her  hand  to  his 
bosom. 

"  Oh,  Samuel,"  for  she  generally  called  him  by  his 
Christian  name,  when  under  the  influence  of  tender 
emotions ;  "  Oh,  Samuel,  I  feel  dreiidfully.  I  have 
pains  darting  through  my  head,  and  most  all  over 
me ;  and  I  feel  dizzy,  and  can't  hare  ly  see ;  and  my 
heart  beats  as  though  it  would  come  through  my  side. 
And  besides,  I  feel  as  though  I  was  c  ying.  I'm  sure 
I  can't  live  till  night ;  and  what  wil"  become  of  my 
poor  children?"  And  she  sobbed  heavily  and  burst 
into  a  flood  of  tears. 

Mr.  "Woodsum  was  affected.  He  could  not  bring 
himself  to  believe  that  his  wife  was  ir  such  immediate 
danger  of  dissolution  as  she  seemed  to  apprehend. 
He  thought  she  had  no  appearance  o  '  a  dying  person ; 
but  still  her  earnest  and  positive  declarations,  that 
she  should  not  live  through  the  d.iy,  sent  a  thrill 
through  his  veir>.«  and  a  sinking  to  his  heart  that  no 


SETH    WOODSUM'S    WIFE.  373 

language  has  power  to  describe.  Mr.  Woodsiim  was 
as  ignorant  of  medicine  as  a  child ;  he  therefore  did 
not  attempt  to  do  anything  to  relieve  his  wife,  except 
to  try  to  soothe  her  feelings  by  kind  and  encouraging 
words,  till  the  doctor  arrived.  The  half  hour  which 
elapsed,  from  the  time  Obediah  left  till  the  doctor 
came,  seemed  to  Mr.  Woodsum  almost  an  age.  He 
repeatedly  went  from  the  bedside  to  the  door,  to  look 
and  see  if  the  doctor  was  anywhere  near,  and  as 
often  returned  to  hear  his  wife  groan,  and  say  she  was 
sinking  fast,  and  could  not  stand  it  many  minutes 
longer. 

At  length  Doctor  Fairfield  rode  up  to  the  door,  on 
Mr.  "Woodsum's  Old  Grey,  and  with  saddle-bags  in 
hand,  hastened  into  the  house.  A  brief  examination 
of  the  patient  convinced  him  that  it  was  a  decided 
case  of  hypochondria,  and  he  soon  spoke  encouraging 
words  to  her,  and  told  her  although  she  was  consider- 
ably unwell,  he  did  not  doubt  she  would  be  better  in 
a  little  while. 

"Oh,  Doctor,  how  can  you  say  so?"  said  Mrs. 
"Woodsum ;  "  don't  you  see  I  am  dying  ?  I  can't 
possibly  live  till  night ;  I  am  sinking  very  fast,  Doctor, 
and  I  shall  never  see  the  sun  rise  again.  My  heart 
sometimes  almost  stops  its  beating  now,  and  my  feet 


and  hands  are  growing  cold.  But  I  must  see  my 
dear  children  once  more ;  do  let  'em  come  in  and  bid 
me  farewell."  Here  she  was  so  over  whelmed  with 
sobs  and  tears  as  to  prevent  her  saying  more. 

The  doctor,  perceiving  it  was  in  vain  to  talk  or  try 
to  reason  with  her,  assured  her  that  as  long  as  there 
was  life  there  was  hope,  and  told  her  he  would  give 
her  some  medicine  that  he  did  not  doubt  would  help 
her.  He  accordingly  administered  the  drugs  usually 
approved  by  the  faculty  in  such  cases,  and  telling  her 
that  he  would  call  and  see  her  again  in  a  day  or  two. 
he  left  the  room.  As  he  went  out,  Mr.  Woodsum 
followed  him,  and  desired  to  know,  in  private,  his  real 
opinion  of  the  case.  The  doctor  assured  him  he  did 
not  consider  it  at  all  alarming.  It  was  only  an 
ordinary  case  of  hypochondria,  and  with  proper  treat- 
ment the  patient  would  undoubtedly  ^et  better. 

"It  is  a  case,"  continued  the  doctor,  "in  which  the 
mind  needs  to  be  administered  to  as  much  as-  the 
body.  Divert  her  attention  as  much  as  possible  by 
cheerful  objects ;  let  her  be  surrounded  by  agree- 
able company;  give  her  a  light,  but  generous  and 
nutritive  diet ;  and  as  soon  as  may  be,  get  her  to  take 
gentle  exercise  in  the  open  air,  by  riding  on  horse- 
back, or  running  about  the  fields  and  gathering  fruits 


375 

and  flowers  in  company  with  lively  and  congenial 
companions.  Follow  these  directions,  and  continue 
to  administer  the  medicines  I  have  ordered,  and  I 
think  Mrs.  Woodsum  will  soon  enjoy  good  health 
again." 

Mr.  Woodsum  fe  t  much  relieved  after  hearing  the 
doctor's  opinion  and  prescriptions,  and  bade  the  kind 
physician  good  morning  with  a  tolerably  cheerful 
countenance.  Most  assiduously  did  he  follow  the 
doctor's  directions,  and  in  a  few  days  he  had  the  hap- 
piness to  see  his  beloved  wife  again  enjoying  tolerable 
health,  and  pursuing  her  domestic  duties  with  cheer- 
fulness. 

But  alas !  his  sunshine  of  hope  vas  destined  soon 
to  be  obscured  again  by  the  clouds  of  sorrow  and 
disappointment.  It  was  not  long  before  some  change 
in  the  weather,  and  changes  in  her  habits  of  living, 
and  neglect  of  proper  exercise  in  the  open  air,  brought 
on  a  return  of  Mrs.  Woodsum's  gloom  and  despon- 
dency, in  all  their  terrific  power.  Again  she  was 
sighing  and  weeping  on  the  bed,  and  again  Mr. 
Woodsum  was  hastily  summoned  from  the  field,  and 
leaving  his  plough  in  mid-furrow,  ran  with  breathless 
anxiety  to  the  house,  where  the  same  scenes  were 
again  witnessed  which  we  have  already  described 


376  '  \V  A  Y     DOWN     EAST. 

0 

Not  only  once  or  twice,  but  repeatedly  week  after 
week  and  month  after  month,  these  exhibitions  were 
given,  and  followed  by  similar  results.  Each  relapse 
seemed  to  be  more  severe  than  the  previous  one,  and 
on  each  occasion  Mrs.  "Woodsum  was  more  positive 
than  ever  that  she  was  on  her  death-bed,  and  that 
there  was  no  longer  any  help  for  her. 

On  one  of  these  occasions,  so  strong  was  her 
impression  that  her  dissolution  was  near,  and  so 
anxious  did  she  appear  to  make  every  preparation  for 
death,  and  with  such  solemn  earnestness  did  she  attend 
to  certain  details,  preparatory  to  leaving  her  family  for 
ever,  that  Mr.  Woodsum  almost  lost  the  hope  that 
usually  attended  him  through  these  scenes,  and  felt, 
more  than  ever  before,  that  what  he  had  so  often 
feared,  was  indeed  about  to  become  a  painful  and 
awful  reality.  Most  tenderly  did  Mrs.  "Woodsum 
touch  upon  the  subject  of  her  separation  from  hei 
husband  and  children. 

"  Our  poor  children — what  will  become  of  them 
when  1  am  gone  ?  And  you,  dear  Samuel,  how  can 
I  bear  the  thought  of  leaving  you?  I  could  feel 
reconciled  to  dying,  if  it  was  not  for  the  thoughts  of 
leaving  you  and  the  children.  They  will  have 
nobody  to  take  care  of  them,  as  a  mother  would,  poor 


SETH     WOODSUM    S      WIFE.  377 

things ;  and  then  you  will  be  so  lonesome — it  breaks 
my  heart  to  think  of  it." 

Here,  her  feelings  overpowered  her,  and  she  was 
unable  to  proceed  any  further.  Mr.  "Woodsum  was 
for  some  time  too  much  affected  to  make  any  reply. 
At  last  summoning  all  his  fortitude,  and  as  much 
calmness  as  he  could,  he  told  her  if  it  was  the  will 
of  Providence  that  she  should  be  separated  from 
them,  he  hoped  her  last  hours  would  not  be  pained 
with  anxious  solicitude  about  the  future  welfare  of 
the  family.  It  was  true,  the  world  would  be  a  dreary 
place  to  him  when  she  was  gone ;  but  he  should  keep 
the  children  with  him,  and  with  the  blessing  of 
heaven,  he  thought  he  should  be  able  to  make  them 
comfortable  and  happy. 

"  Well,  there's  one  thing,  dear  Samuel,"  said  Mrs. 
Woodsum,  "  that  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  speak  to  you 
about."  And  she  pressed  his  hand  in  hers,  and 
looked  most  solemnly  and  earnestly  in  his  face. 
"  You  know,  my  dear,"  she  continued,  "  how  sad  ana 
desolate  a  family  of  children  always  is,  when  deprived 
of  a  mother.  They  may  have  a  kind  father,  and  kind 
friends,  but  nobody  can  supply  the  place  of  a  mother. 
I  feel  as  if  it  would  be  your  duty — and  I  could  not 
die  in  peace,  if  I  didn't  speak  of  it — I  feel,  dear 


578  WAT     DOWN     EAST. 

Samuel,  as  if  it  would  be  your  duty  as  soon  after  I 
am  gone  as  would  appear  decent,  to  marry  some  good 
and  kind  woman,  and  bring  her  into  the  family  to  be 
the  mother  of  our  poor  children,  and  to  make  your 
home  happy.  Promise  me  that  you  will  do  this,  and 
I  think  it  will  relieve  me  of  some  of  the  distress  I 
feel  at  the  thought  of  dying." 

This  remark  was,  to  Mr.  "Woodsum,  most  unex- 
pected and  most  painful.  It  threw  an  anguish  into 
his  heart,  such  as  he  had  never  experienced  till  that 
moment.  It  forced  upon  his  contemplation  a  thought 
that  had  never  before  occurred  to  him.  The  idea  of 
being  bereaved  of  the  wife  of  his  bosom,  whom  he 
had  loved  and  cherished  for  fifteen  years  with  the 
ardent  attachment  of  a  fond  husband,  had  over- 
whelmed him  with  all  the  bitterness  of  woe ;  but  the 
thought  of  transferring  that  attachment  to  another 
object,  brought  with  it  a  double  desolation.  His  asso- 
ciations before  had  all  clothed  his  love  for  his  wife 
with  a  feeling  of  immortality.  She  might  be  removed 
from  him  to  another  world,  but  he  had  not  felt  as 
though  that  would  dissolve  the  holy  bond  that  united 
them.  His  love  would  soon  follow  her  to  those  eternal 
realms  of  bliss,  and  rest  upon  her  like  a  mantle  for 
ever.  But  thi?  new  and  startling  idea  of  love  for 


S  E  T  H     WOO  I.)  S  t;  M  '  :'      WIFE.  379 

Another,  came  to  him,  as  conies  to  the  wicked  the  idea 
of  annihilation  of  the  soul — an  idea,  compared  with 
which  no  degree  of  misery  imaginable  is  half  so 
terrible.  A  cloud  of  intense  darkness  seemed  for  a 
moment  to  overshadow  him,  his  heart  sank  within 
him,  and  his  whole  frame  trembled  with  agitation.  It 
was  some  minutes  before  he  could  find  power  to  speak. 
And  when  he  did,  it  was  only  to  beseech  his  wife,  in 
a  solemn  tone,  not  to  allude  to  so  distressing  a  subject 
again,  a  subject  which  he  could  not  think  of  nor  speak 
of,  without  suffering  more  than  a  thousand  deaths. 

The  strong  mental  anguish  of  Mr.  Woodsum 
seemed  to  have  the  effect  to  divert  his  wife's  atten- 
tion from  her  own  sufferings,  and  by  turning  her 
emotions  into  a  new  channel,  gave  her  system  an 
opportunity  to  rally.  She  gradually  grew  better,  as 
she  had  done  in  like  cases  before,  and  even  before 
night  was  able  to  sit  up,  and  became  quite  cheerful. 

But  her  malady  was  only  suspended,  not  cured; 
and  again  and  again  it  returned  upon  her,  and  again 
and  again  her  friends  were  summoned  to  witness  her 
last  sickness,  and  take  their  last  farewell.  And  on 
these  occasions,  she  had  so  often  slightly  and  deli- 
cately hinted  to  Mr.  Woodsum  the  propriety  of  his 
marrying  a  second  wife,  that  even  he  could  at  last 


380 

listen  to  the  suggestion  with  a  degree  of  indifference 
which  he  had  once  thought  he  could  never  feel. 

At  last,  the  sober  saddening  days  of  autumn  came 
on.  Mr.  "Woodsum  was  in  the  midst  of  his  "fall 
work,"  which  had  been  several  times  interrupted  by 
these  periodical  turns  of  despondency  in  his  wife. 
One  morning  he  went  to  his  field  early,  for  he  had  a 
heavy  day's  work  to  do,  and  had  engaged  one  of 
his  neighbors  to  come  with  two  yoke  of  oxen  and  a 
plough  to  help  him  "  break  up  "  an  old  mowing 
field.  His  neighbor  could  only  help  him  that  day, 
and  he  was  very  anxious  to  plough  the  whole  field. 
He  accordingly  had  left  the  children  and  nurse  in  the 
house,  with  strict  charges  to  take  good  care  of  theii 
mother.  Mr.  Woodsum  was  driving  the  team  and 
his  neighbor  was  holding  the  plough,  and  things  wenl 
on  to  their  mind  till  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon, 
when  little  Harriet  came  running  to  the  field,  and 
told  her  father  that  her  mother  was  "  dreadful  sick  " 
and  wanted  him  to  come  in  as  quick  as  he  could,  for 
she  was  certainly  dying  now.  Mr.  "Woodsum,  without 
saying  a  word,  drove  his  team  to  the  end  of  tho 
furrow ;  but  he  looked  thoughtful  and  perplexed. 
Although  he  felt  persuaded  that  her  danger  was 
imaginary,  a?  it  had  always  proved  to  be  before,  still, 


381 

the  idea  of  the  bare  possibility  that  this  sickness  wight 
be  unto  death,  pressed  upon  him  with  such  power, 
that  he  laid  down  his  goad-stick,  and  telling  his 
neighbor  to  let  the  cattle  breathe  awhile,  walked 
deliberately  towards  the  house.  Before  he  had 
accomplished  the  whole  distance,  however,  his  own 
imagination  had  added  such  wings  to  his  speed,  that 
he  found  himself  moving  at  a  quick  run.  He  entered 
the  house,  and  found  his  wife  as  he  had  so  often  found 
her  before,  in  her  own  estimation,  almost  ready  to 
breathe  her  last.  Her  voice  was  faint  and  low,  and 
her  pillow  was  wet  with  tears.  She  had  already  taken 
her  leave  of  her  dear  children,  and  waited  only  to 
exchange  a  few  parting  words  with  her  beloved  hus- 
band. Mr.  Woodsum  approached  the  bedside,  and 
took  her  hand  tenderly,  as  he  had  ever  been  wont  to 
do,  but  he  could  not  perceive  any  symptoms  of 
approaching  dissolution,  different  from  what  he  had 
witnessed  on  a  dozen  former  occasions. 

"Now,  my  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Woodsum,  faint); 
"  the  time  has  come  at  last.  I  feel  that  I  am  on  my 
death-bed,  and  have  but  a  short  time  longer  to  stay 
with  you.  But  I  hope  we  shall  feel  resigned  to  the 
will  of  Heaven.  I  would  go  cheerfully,  dear,  if  it 
was  not  for  my  anxiety  about  you  and  the  children 


382  'WAY    DOWN    EAST. 

Now,  don't  you  think,  mj  dear,"  she  continued,  with 
increasing  tenderness,  "  don't  you  think  it  would  be 
best  for  you  to  be  married  again  to  some  kind  good 
woman,  that  would  be  a  mother  to  our  dear  little 
ones,  and  make  your  home  pleasant  for  ail  of  you  ?" 

She  paused,  and  looked  earnestly  in  his  face. 

"  Well,  I've  sometimes  thought,  of  late,  it  might  be 
best,"  said  Mr.  Woodsum,  with  a  very  solemn  air. 

"  Then  you  have  been  thinking  about  it,"  said  Mrs. 
"Woodsum,  with  a  slight  contraction  of  the  muscles 
of  the  face. 

"  Why,  yes,"  said  Mr.  Woodsum,  "  I  have  some- 
times thought  about  it,  since  you've  had  spells  of 
being  so  very  sick.  It  makes  me  feel  dreadfully  to 
think  of  it,  but  I  don't  know  but  it  might  be  my  duty." 

"  Well,  I  do  think  it  would,"  said  Mrs.  Woodsum, 
"  if  you  can  only  get  the  right  sort  of  a  person. 
Everything  depends  upon  that,  my  dear,  and  I  hope 
you  will  be  very  particular  about  who  you  get,  very." 

"  I  certainly  shall,"  said  Mr.  Woodsum ;  "  don't 
give  yourself  any  uneasiness  about  that,  my  dear, 
for  I  assure  you  I  shall  be  very  particular.  The  per- 
son I  shall  probably  have  is  one  of  tte  kindest  and 
best  tempered  women  in  the  world." 

"  But  have  you  been  thinking  of  any  one  in  par- 


8ETH     WOODSUM'S     WIPE. 

• 

acular,  my  dear?"  said  Mrs.  Woodsum,  with  a  inani- 
fest  look  of  uneasiness. 

"Why,  yes,"  said  Mr.  Woodsum,  "there  is  one, 
that  I  have  thought  for  some  time  past,  I  should 
probably  marry,  if  it  should  be  the  will  of  Providence 
to  take  you  from  us." 

"  And  pray,  Mr.  Woodsum,  who  can  it  be  ?"  said 
the  wife,  with  an  expression,  more  of  earth  than 
heaven,  returning  to  her  eye.  "  "Who  is  it,  Mr.  Wood- 
sum  ?  You  have  n't  named  it  to  her,  have  you  ?" 

"  Oh,  by  no  means,"  said  Mr.  Woodsum ;  "  but 
my  dear,  we  had  better  drop  the  subject ;  it  agitates 
you  too  much." 

"  But,  Mr.  "Woodsum,  you  must  tell  me  who  it  is  ; 
I  never  could  die  in  peace  till  you  do." 

"  It  is  a  subject  too  painful  to  think  about,"  said 
Mr.  Woodsum,  "  and  it  don't  appear  to  me  it  would 
be  best  to  call  names." 

"But  I  insist  upon  it,"  said  Mrs.  Woodsum,  who 
had  by  this  time  raised  herself  up  with  great  earnest- 
ness and  was  leaning  on  her  elbow,  while  her  searching 
glance  was  reading  every  muscle  in  her  husband's 
face.  "  Mr.  Woodsum,  I  insist  upon  it !" 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Mr.  Woodsum,  with  a  sigh,  "  if 
you  insist  upon  it,  my  dear — I  have  thought  if  it 


384: 

should  be  the  will  of  Providence  to  take  you  from  us, 
to  be  here  no  more,  I  have  thought  I  should  marry 
for  my  second  wife,  Hannah  Lovejoy." 

An  earthly  fire  once  more  flashed  from  Mrs. 
Woodsum's  eyes— she  leaped  from  the  bed  like  a  cat ; 
walked  across  the  room,  and  seated  herself  in  a  chair. 

"What!"  she  exclaimed,  in  a  trembling  voice 
almost  choked  with  agitation — "what!  marry  that 
idle,  sleepy  slut  of  a  Hannah  Lovejoy!  Mr.  Wood- 
eum,  that  is  too  much  for  flesh  and  blood  to  bear — I 
can't  endure  that,  nor  I  won't.  Hannah  Lovejoy  to 
be  the  mother  of  my  children !  No,  that's  what  she 
never  shall.  So  you  may  go  to  your  ploughing,  Mr. 
Woodsum,  and  set  your  heart  at  rest.  Susan,"  she 
continued,  "make  up  more  fire  under  that  dinner  pot." 

Mr.  Woodsum  went  to  the  field,  and  pursued  his 
work,  and  when  he  returned  at  noon,  he  found  dinner 
well  prepared,  and  his  wife  ready  to  do  the  honors  of 
the  table.  Mrs.  Woodsum's  health  from  that  day  con- 
tinued to  improve,  and  she  was  never  afterward  visited 
by  the  terrible  affliction  of  hypochondria. 

i 

THE     EHD  - 


